The Bond of Aura
by AuraChannelerChris
Summary: Ch. 11: A Pokémon Cook. Expecting the days ahead of Summer Vacation, Chris tries to teach Lucario how to make his own food. While this is going on, Lucario ponders what he wants to do in the real world.
1. A Fateful Event

_Hello, people who scroll fiction after fiction to encounter something entertaining like a TV show or stuff like that. Since I'm a Lucario fanatic, and the fact that I found out I had a hidden passion for writing, I decided to hit the world of fiction (namely here) and start my own series._

_A long time ago, this story was written. However, the story itself looked a bit too simple for my tastes. The characters only had few dialogues, and the story advanced too fast. I was very inexperienced back then, but I've learned a lot over the years._

_So now, I'll bring you this re-written version of this story to increase the number of fan fictions depicting Lucario._

_In this particular fan fiction, __**there will be neither the Pokémon World nor**__** a setting in the anime. **__In fact, I'm taking a big risk and relate the real world with the video game world. Yes, that's right. That means that there will be the only OC I need for this story to bloom properly. This OC will be my only OC, so you don't have to worry about seeing a story crammed with pathetic OCs. You only get one so the character development remains sane._

_One more thing before you scroll down the page. Since this will involve the real world, expect a lot of realism to take role in all chapters. There will be many different instances where the OC will react as anyone would or at least something very close along those lines. I've seen some fictions about the real world "merging" with the real world, and there's not enough realism with the reactions characters make. I said, "screw it" and gave it a go with this. I hope I did a good job with it, though._

_Oh, also, this is a random Lucario. But will this Lucario be random or does he have a story to tell?_

_In any case, I welcome all of you to this new revision of my original main fic._

_I encourage all Lucario fans to read and review._

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Fateful Event**

_Seriously, why do I have to be so unfortunate? It's such a drag to take care of myself in these conditions…_

_Hi, guy or girl listening to the little but annoying rant. My name is Chris… I don't like to mention my full name because it's a bit weird itself, so please, bear that with me. You're probably wondering why I'm even ranting to myself, right? Well, if you're so considerate, please, listen to my story._

_I'm a fifteen year-old teenager living in the pacific city of Los Angeles, California, a somewhat rich teenager at that. Before you think I'm a little rich kid, let me tell you that you might be right. Unfortunately, I'm one of those weird kind of people who don't mind having all the money of the world because it's still boring to them. And no, I'm not selfish either. I assure you that I'm very clean and honest myself. In fact, I rarely even think too much about what to get for myself._

_Why am I even rich, you ask? Well, it's a really hard way to be rich, but this is like this because my parents are expert business people. They both are very talented, helping some important corporations out there. They get large sums of money, but that's something I could care less._

_Don't label me as insane, though. Many people think money buys happiness, but they're dead wrong. It just helps you to live an easier life, nothing else, nothing more. While money is resourceful, people; family, friends, and relatives are more invaluable if you ask me. In my case, several key-factors just make my life a very…very unfortunate one…_

_One, despite I have parents, they're not always home. In fact, they're the kind of people who travel around working all the time._

_Two, my parents left me ever since I graduated from kindergarten. This may sound crazy, leaving a guy like me to fend off by myself, but they didn't leave because they had to, but it was because of something I did… Something I don't really want to recall anymore… I constantly worry about them, but they're always okay. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid._

_Three, even though I'm alone, I've been raised to what I am today by my caring uncles. All my uncles live here in this city, and they were asked by my parents to look after me. That was ONE serious help right there to me. I could've been pretty dead, but it was easier for me to "stay alive" all this time. My uncles are the best for that reason._

_Too bad my uncles aren't raising me anymore. Now that I graduated from Junior High School, I proved them that I could live by myself. At first, I thought I was about to implode, but all the things my uncles taught me until now helped me to live by myself in my big house of the neighborhood. I'm used to invite some friends to spend the time together and play video games._

_And this is the main point: video games._

_For as long as I can remember, video games were my only way to have fun for myself (and my friends), and they keep being my only way to have fun until these days. Thanks to the monthly checks my parents always sent me to pay the electricity and water, there were always big leftovers so I could use them to get anything I wanted, and all that money was mostly spent on video games._

_Thanks to growing up playing video games, I became a little bit too hyperactive. With every video game that came to my room, there was a new world in them where you could explore freely without getting yourself killed on the bed. I think I didn't mention this before, but I'm the kind of gamers that appreciate video games' plots and characters. The wonderful plots and marvelous characters are just a remarkable sight for my eyes to behold._

_It was this same thought that made me think that…fantasy could be real._

_It is childish, but everyone has a childish thought. I'm old enough to be thinking that stuff, but I don't care much about age restrictions. I love fantasy, and I believe that it's real in some way or another. It's my strongest belief that I hide from everyone else. It's my only resource for me to imagine a life where I could experience new thrills, visit new lands, and meet astonishing people…_

_I'm really stupid, though. No such places exist in this world, and maybe even in other faraway planets. Reality was something very cruel to me, but it's okay. As long as there's imagination, I can enjoy my life._

…_Except tonight, since it's the start of Summer Vacations and it's already raining heavy. Worse yet, I'm alone in my room without anybody else. I really, REALLY hate to live for myself. It's a very scary thought for me to live alone without your parents. If I just could have somebody, anybody (sane, that is), to stay with me…maybe I could enjoy my solitary confinement in my own house._

_My bad luck just couldn't bother me anymore than tonight…_

Inside a room of a house, there was a fifteen-year-old teen preparing to go to sleep. The short black-haired teenager was about 5'3". His skin was dark, even though it looked light brown. He wore white shorts with a white shirt that he used to go to sleep. Taking off his shirt always felt very uncomfortable, so he always wore it all nights, having spare pairs in his closet. His eyes were brown, and his black hair had some hair sticking out on the upper left side corner of his head, giving him a distinguishable look for his hairstyle.

The night raged with a fierce rain, as Chris was already lying down on his bed, covering himself with the bed sheets. The teen wasn't afraid of this kind of weather although he was alone in his house. He was used to sleep late at night when he watched some movies or played video games. It was the season of the year where anybody could have fun and stay up very late.

"This rain bothers me a lot…" Chris muttered. "During times like this, a good video game always helps me relax… Let's see," he said, looking around to spot the clock in his room.

The room was big. Chris's bed leaned against the wall, where the door idly stood on the lower right end of the bed. To his right, Chris saw the plasma TV sitting on top of some drawers. To the lower left corner of the room, a pile of video game magazines were piled up next to another pile of video game cases. Several posters, depicting several famous Nintendo characters, were hanging around the walls. Right next to the TV, a Wii idly sat, its yellow light shining a bit to distinguish itself from the darkness of the room.

Then, Chris found his clock behind the TV. Thanks to a lightning, it illuminated the room long enough for him to tell it was 11:18 PM. He blinked and looked next to the bed where a drawer was. Over the drawer, his DS lied down on it. He smiled a bit and took the console where he opened it up and started playing. "I have my Diamond version inserted," Chris said. "I was doing some training in Route 224, I think… Oh, I was right."

The teen checked his current team. He was mostly training his team to get new evolutions that weren't registered in his Pokédex. He had a Sunflora, an Arcanine, a Swampert (which was level 100), a Luxray, and a Swellow. He mostly used Swampert to get experience and share it with the others through an Exp. Share item.

"I guess I'm done with this team…" Chris muttered, before spotting his sixth Pokémon. "Huh? That's weird… I forgot I had him there."

There was a level 40 Lucario, whose health was red. It also had a Burn condition status.

"Now that I remember, I think I was training this Lucario so it could learn Aura Sphere," Chris said. "It was such a bad idea to make it fight a Rapidash. It used Flamethrower on him, and he got a critical hit, together with the Burn… Good thing he beat it, though."

The teen yawned and closed his DS, leaving it where Lucario's status screen was. Chris put the DS back on top of the drawer and opened his window a bit so the fresh air could enter. It was a good thing that there was a hanging roof outside, covering his window from being assaulted by the rain. He made a mental note to take care of his Lucario once he woke up the next day.

"I'm up to play the game some more tomorrow… I feel so tired today…" Chris muttered. "That graduation party I had with some friends today tired me out… Bummer, and here I wanted to play for a little while longer…" He covered his neck and sank his head into his pillow. "Oh well, time to rest…" With another yawn, the teen fell asleep.

The rain outside made a lot of noise, but Chris wanted to pay that price for the fresh air to sweep his room. His annoyance was further bothered once crashing sounds of thunderbolts were shining in the clouds.

Chris shivered a bit and sneezed. "(At times like this, I'd like to have someone here with me… I'm a bit scared of this rain when it gets so bad…)" He shook his head and sank into the bed sheets. "(I'm old enough to be scared of this rain, please… It's not like the rain will hurt me or something. I'll just leave the window open and rest for now. I'm so tired…)" he whined in his mind.

Just then, for his dismay, the thunders began to get noisier than before. Chris grunted angrily and opened his weary eyes. With some anger, he glanced up at the window.

"God, would it kill me to ask Mother Nature to keep it down for once?" he asked sarcastically. "I'm trying to start my vacations with a nice sleep, you know…"

The thunders became noisier than before.

Chris widened his eyes. "O-okay, it's getting noisier now. T-the forecast didn't say there was going to be a thunderstorm… Then again, forecasts are wrong most of the tim-"

And to his greatest shock, the clouds replied by shooting a lightning bolt right through his open window. The teen yelped and covered his face with his bed sheet. Through his bed sheet, he saw the room illuminating for a long while. He shook in fear, wishing that the lightning bolt didn't hit anything in his room to make it explode or something. After yelling "HOLY CRAP! and nearly having a heart attack, Chris pushed his bed sheet away and sat up, looking fairly shocked to his room. In a blink of an eye, his forehead sweated bullets. He breathed in and out to calm himself.

"T-the hell?" Chris yelled. "W-was I going to get killed tonight so I couldn't get to High School or what?" he asked out of panic.

His panting came to a halt as he found out that there was an ominous blue glow illuminating his room. Chris sat still, his eyes shaking in fear. As far as he knew, there weren't weird glows in his room before.

"(D-don't panic…d-don't panic…)" Chris thought, trying to calm himself down. "(Y-you're still alive…y-you're still alive… Y-you must calm down before you scream…)" He inhaled a big amount of air and exhaled all of it down. Failing to stop sweating and keeping his heart from beating so fast, Chris slowly turned to the direction of the blue glow to see what was glowing close to his bed. "…DUAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed.

The lightning bolt had apparently landed right next on his drawer, right on top of his natural blue DS. The soot that the bolt caused surrounded the DS, which was somehow glowing in a weird light that made Chris shake in fear.

"(T-that stupid lightning bolt landed right NEXT to me and it didn't blow my brains out?)" Chris thought in panic, before focusing on his glowing DS. "(B-but…t-then…i-it landed right on my DS? W-why is it glowing like that? Oooooh my god, it's going to explode!)" He sank back into his bed sheet and cowered in fear, waiting for his DS to explode.

Several seconds passed, and the teen slowly stopped shaking under his bed sheet. There was no explosion coming from his DS. Gulping at this, he peeked out his eyes to glance at the DS.

"…N-nothing?" Chris muttered to himself, seeing his DS glowing still. "I-I thought it was going to explode or something…b-but why is it still glowing like that?" He put his bed sheet away and carefully stared at the glowing console. "…Should I really go ahead and touch it? What if it explodes right after I touch it or explodes right before? Oh god, why, oh why do I have to get into this dilemma?" he asked in disbelief. "I nearly avoided getting myself killed by a lightning bolt, but now I have to deal with my glowing DS…"

Chris looked at his DS.

"…I don't want to leave it glowing like that all night," he said. "…I have to arm myself with whatever piece of courage I have left in me and…t-touch it to see if it's okay…" Chris gulped at the thought and put up a serious expression. "I-if I die…it'll be my fault… Well…h-here it goes…"

Carefully, Chris moved his right hand towards the glowing DS. He gulped and sweated more as it neared on top of the console. Once it stood over it, Chris's hand moved down, making sure that it didn't touch the DS right away. When it was roughly five centimeters away, Chris closed his eyes and, in a much slower pace, placed his hand on the console.

When his hand touched the DS, Chris bolted right away into his bed sheet. He shook in fear, thinking the DS already exploded. But nothing happened, and he pulled down the bed sheet, looking doubtful at the glowing machine. "…" He, quickly, grabbed the DS with his hand and pulled it to him. Now that he knew the DS wouldn't explode after touching, his confidence was coming back to him. He looked down upon the console, his expression turning serious once more. "W-well…n-nothing happened, so everything's fine…for now…"

The thought about opening his DS suddenly came to him. Chris just noticed that the glow was coming from within the console's screens. The glow was so ominous to him that a chill ran down his spine. He gulped again and slowly opened his DS, staring at two blue glows occupying both the touch screen and the upper screen. "…" He backed away his head and shrugged. "T-this doesn't really look so good to me…"

He lowered his face a bit and thought something.

"(I-I don't know, but this DS maybe…just maybe…saved my life,)" Chris said. "(Did it absorb the lightning bolt…or did it act as a lightning rod? Whatever the case was…I'm still scared about this light… Hmm…I wonder what could happen if I touch the touch screen…)" He stared at the glowing touch screen. "(Would it make the system explode for real?)" he thought scared. "(E-even so, I can't have this DS glowing all night. I wouldn't sleep well…)" Chris looked at his open window and closed it. He sat back and removed the stylus from the DS.

The teen stared at his stylus, being spared of destruction or glow effects caused by the lightning bolt. He slowly looked back and forth between the touch screen and the stylus. He gritted his teeth cautiously and moved the stylus over the touch screen.

He tapped the touch screen lightly.

The glowing lights suddenly dimmed down until they disappeared.

The teen didn't believe what he saw, but his DS returned to normal. He carefully looked back to his screens, both turned off. "Phew…" he sighed, "nothing bad happened… And here I was thinking it was going to blow up…" With his regained confidence, he placed the DS back on top of his soot-covered drawer. He just remembered that he had the game turned on, specifically right on Lucario's status screen. "Oh well," he said. "I didn't get so far to save the game. I just checked my team's condition. At least nothing got lost over this stupid lightning bolt…" he cursed and sank back to his pillow. "So much for my first day of vacations…"

Just as he was about to close his eyes, his blue DS suddenly glowed even brighter than before. The teen began screaming loudly, sitting back up to see the console once again shining like crazy.

Chris knew he spoke too soon.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHH, IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" he yelped.

Perhaps the most shocking thing that made Chris lean to his wall and grab the area where his beating heart was under his chest was the fact that all the light was concentrating itself on the upper screen. Before he knew, all light materialized in the form of a beam that bounced all over his room, miraculously not breaking anything. The teen screamed louder and took cover under his bed sheet, as the light beam whizzed right next to him. It bounced crazily around the room, not finding some way to shoot itself outside the area.

"W-what's going on?" Chris asked scared. "S-stop it!" he demanded to the light bouncing along his walls.

The light escaping through the bed sheet suddenly dimmed down, and Chris felt that something bounced off from his bed. He carefully pushed the bed sheet off from him and glanced around in fear. The bouncing light had somehow disappeared from sight. There weren't holes in the wall or window where the light could have escaped.

At last, the room was all silent and calm, just as he wanted it to be.

He panted a bit too heavily and wiped his forehead to sweep his sweat. "W-what was that?" he asked in the form of a whisper. "I-is this some kind of dream or what?" he asked in a panic. He knocked his head a bit and felt some pain. "I-it's not a dream…" he muttered with a gulp.

Chris glanced back to his DS, which now was turned off without the spooky glowing light. He didn't know it this was okay, since the console shone brightly right after it dimmed down. He waited a bit for something to happen, but he sighed in relief after everything came back to normal.

Chris was finally at peace.

"First, a lightning bolt almost kills me… Then, my DS shines… Then, my DS shoots a freaky light that ALMOST kills me… And now, everything's so calm," Chris muttered. "I'm seriously unlucky…" He lied down on his bed and covered himself with the bed sheet. He shifted his eyes around and sighed, hearing the calm sound of the rain outside his house. "There…everything's okay now. The panic finished, so I'm all good to go to sleep this time." He smiled a bit and yawned. "What I'd give for a good night sleep… Well…now I can sleep…"

Before he could drift away to sleep, Chris turned his head to the left, facing the wall.

"…" He slightly opened his eyes and saw some kind of sphere object sitting idly on his pillow, just right in front of his face. Since it was too close, he saw a blur. "Where did this ball come from?" he asked, grabbing the ball.

When a lightning illuminated the room, his expression turned shocked when he saw a very familiar object under his hand. The object had a red base with a white base, divided by a black line where a button was situated between the red and white bases. The design, even though simple, made Chris's heart skip a beat.

It was a Poké Ball. One that looked extremely genuine and real.

"…A-a…a-a…a-a…a-a…Poké Ball…" Chris whispered heavily. "T-there…t-there…there…there is a…a…a…a Poké Ball…in…in…in front of me…" His hand slowly rubbed the sphere. Instead of a cheap imitation of plastic, he felt the object's metal far too real. It felt very real to the point it was not a fake. "…It's real…" he muttered, his eyes fixed on the sphere.

Out of panic, Chris sat up on his bed and stared at the sphere, his heart beating madly. He never thought it was real, but the sphere was definitely a real Poké Ball. He knew it wasn't a cheap plastic imitation that some restaurants used to distribute to children. He also knew that he never had one to begin with, and the Poké Ball before him was the first one that made its way to him…somehow.

"(Calm down…calm down, Chris… So what if there's a Poké Ball that appeared out of nowhere in your room…)" he asked mentally, "(I-it's not like it's going to open and reveal an empty space of air…will it? But…how did it get here in the first place? That light just now didn't materialize this, right? Or…did it really do that?)"

Many doubts crossed in his mind as he stared down at the sphere. Chris decided to grab the Poké Ball, trying to inspect it closer. He rubbed it a bit more, and it sure felt real to him. It wasn't a fake, but a real Poké Ball.

"(Just as I thought… This is…a real Poké Ball…)" Chris thought. "(…But to see if this is real, maybe there's some Pokémon insid-)"

The teen's mind suddenly came to a halt after thinking about a creature trapped inside the sphere over his hands.

"(…Why did I never think of this before?)" Chris thought. "(If this is a real Poké Ball, then there must be a Pokémon trapped inside… I can open this the same way the characters do, right? But then, if there's a Pokémon…will it obey me or something? It'll surely attack me out of fear! What if it's a big Pokémon that ends up destroying my room and escaped to destroy the city, or what if it's a Legendary Pokémon instead?)"

Chris looked at the ball.

"(Please, don't let it be a Legendary Pokémon!)"

The teen then thought about something very important. It was something that he hadn't thought about after thinking what Pokémon could be inside the sphere.

"(…Wait, I don't really need to open this, do I?)" Chris thought to himself. "(Of course not… I don't have any reason to open this. If there's a Pokémon inside, it'll have to stay in there so it doesn't hurt me.)" He sighed in relief and placed the Poké Ball on his drawer. "I'm so stupid, thinking that I needed to open it. I'm far too smart for my curiosity to take the better of me." He sighed and, once again, hit his head against the pillow to go to sleep. "I had too many panic moments tonight, and I'm sick of them. I want to have a peaceful sleep…" He yawned and slowly went back to sleep, facing the wall, not minding that the Poké Ball rolled down his drawer to the floor and opened by itself.

Chris's fears came back to laugh at his scared expression. His eyes widened as he saw a light shining behind his back. He cursed mentally for leaving the ball on a place where it could easily roll down to the floor. However, his thoughts soon died as the light vanished. The light itself was proof enough that a Pokémon was inside the Poké Ball.

And whoever it was, Chris was in for trouble. Another thunder illuminated the room, and the shadow of a tall figure was shown against the wall Chris faced. The figure was very tall, managing to tower over Chris even if he stood up. He noticed some two horns on the shadow's head that made him think it was a demon. "M-MONSTER!"

This mere shadow made Chris scream once more. But then, the shadow slowly faded back into darkness, and somebody fell down on the floor.

Thinking he had to see his assailant before he could die, Chris sat up from his bed and looked around his room, finding no one else. "W-where are you?" he asked quickly. "I-I know there's a Pokémon in this room! S-show yourself and kill me off if you want! I don't want to live getting scared every freaking second after I go to sleep!"

"**Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…**"

The low toned grunt that came from the floor made Chris think that a huge monster was about to rise up and eat him whole. He didn't want to look, but his eyes gave up on his thought and slowly looked down to the floor.

Miraculously, Chris avoided screaming after seeing a Pokémon dropped dead on the floor. The Pokémon lying down on the mattress had two paw-like feet and long black legs, a weird blue-shaped thigh, a long blue tail with a scythe-like end, a black belt that was actually skin, a thin body covered in yellow fur, and two black wheel-like shoulders where long blue arms with black paw-like hands and spikes on the wrists. The head of the Pokémon loosely resembled the ancient Egyptian guardian named Anubis, except for the fact that its face had some kind of black pattern that crossed over his fierce red eyes and long snout, crossing between his long ears. The most distinguishable features of the Pokémon were the four black sack-like appendages hanging on the back of its head. Judging by its grunts, the creature was surely a male.

"…T-that isn't a…Lucario…is it?" Chris muttered under his breath, staring scared at the Lucario on the floor.

For some reason, the Lucario lying on his floor didn't look like it was going to attack or even stand up. In fact, the only thing the supposedly tamed Lucario did was grunt silently as if it was in some kind of pain that Chris didn't know. The teen was very scared of the Lucario. The Aura Pokémon looked extremely real to him like the Poké Ball. "Grrrrrrr… Grrrrrrrr…" the Lucario grunted, its eyes tightly shut.

"T-this is way too much for me already," Chris complained. "Really, all these weird chain of events are WAY too hard for me to believe even if they DID take place before my own eyes…" He gulped and stared down at the Lucario. "…Er…"

Something was wrong about the Lucario. It wasn't the fact that it seemed to be in pain, but it was the shocking fact that, unlike all Lucario depicted in the games, it was a bit too big. Chris's took a closer look, managing to stand on the floor to look down at the grunting creature. Chris examined the Lucario from feet to head.

"…Is it just me…or is this Lucario…way too big?" he asked to himself. "And on top of that…this one is even bigger than me… I thought they were around four feet, b-but this one…I think it surpasses six feet!"

"Grrrrrrrrrr…"

Chris took several steps back, yelping in doing so. He thought he made the Lucario angry for talking, but the creature didn't reply with an attack or something. It just remained there still on the floor, grunting and grunting. Chris gulped at this and looked away in fear. "W-what am I supposed to do now?" he asked to himself. "I-I'm so scared! T-there's a Lucario lying down on my floor, a-and I'm here freaking out too much! W-what do I do now?"

And to get him more freaked out, a voice replied to his questions.

"**S-somebody…please…help me…**"

Chris gritted his teeth in fear and swallowed his breath. He blinked and turned around to look down at the Lucario. He thought he heard things, but a voice definitely came from the Lucario. The voice made Chris sweat even more. "(D-did…d-did this Lucario just talk to me? D-does it know how to talk through telepathy?)"

"H-help me…"

It couldn't be true.

Chris could have sworn seeing the Lucario's lips moving in synch with the voice. His breath became fasted as Chris shook his head in bewilderment. "D-did you just talk?" he whispered in fear. "(H-he talked, I-I know it talked through its mouth and not his mind!)"

"I…I beg you…" the Lucario pleaded, even though it didn't take a first look to Chris. "P-please, whoever you are…I need…to recover … I…I feel…so weak…"

"(S-should I respond…o-or should I leave it there so it dies?)" Chris thought in panic before he looked down sadly. "(…If I help it…will it kill me…or will it leave?... Either way, I feel guilty somehow… Seeing it…seeing he like this on the floor, panting like that… It's just wrong to leave him like that…)" He closed his eyes and thought hardly. "(I don't know what I'll do, but…he needs help…badly…)"

Another, final thought crossed Chris's mind.

"(…Whatever happens next will be my fault…but…I know I'll do the right thing if I help him out,)" he thought and looked serious at the Lucario. His look suddenly looked worried as he approached the Aura Pokémon, where Chris sat down on his legs and moved up his hands over his sides. He looked from feet to head at Lucario, seeing where he was hurt. "O-okay, hang in there," Chris tried to reassure the weakened Lucario, trying to avoid screaming. "I-I'm here to help you, b-but you need to promise me not to attack me no matter what happens. D-don't worry, I won't do something bad to hurt you. Y-you have my trust."

"Grrrrrrrrrr…"

Chris gulped, trying to avoid submitting himself to fear after the Lucario grunted in pain. He caught a small glimpse of the Aura Pokémon's sharp, hard fangs. "A-are you listening to me? I-if you want to heal, l-let me see what you're suffering from. I-I'll do my best to heal you…" The teen sniffed sadly, thinking that the Lucario could be acting to kill him off when he lowered down his guard. "J-just…t-trust me… I-I'm…I-I'm so scared…b-but…I-I'm not a bad person…"

"…I won't hurt you…"

The teen gasped at this reply and looked at the Lucario. "S-seriously? Y-you won't hurt me?"

"I…I won't…" the Lucario replied. "I…I just want to recover… So please…help me…I beg of you…"

"…R-right away!" Chris said nodding, his confidence coming back to him. He looked at Lucario's body, but there weren't any signs of bruises. "This is strange…" Chris thought worried. "You d-don't look hurt anywhere…but maybe you hurt your stomach so badly or something?"

"I feel…some pain…" replied the Lucario. "I…I just need to rest…a-and I'll be fine… B-but…I feel a burning feeling on my forehead…"

"Burning feeling?" Chris said confused. He gulped again and slowly touched the Lucario's forehead. After confirming that the creature was real, Chris felt some very hot on the Lucario's forehead. "G-goodness, you have fever…a-and a very bad one…" He pulled back his hand and stood back up. "T-treating high fevers should be the same as treating normal fevers on Pokémon like humans, right? I-I'll be back in a second with a wet towel!" He ran to his door and opened it. Before running to the bathroom, he turned to take another glance at the Lucario, panting heavily on the floor. "H-hang in there while I come back!" he said before running away.

Several seconds later, the worried teen ran back into the room, holding a wet towel on his right hand. When he looked down at the Lucario, he thought that it was a bad idea for it to rest on the floor. Chris shook his head in panic and looked to his bed.

"I-I need to put you on my bed so you can rest," Chris said. "C-can you stand up?"

"I…I can't…" the Lucario said.

"(Just my luck…JUST my luck…)" Chris complained mentally. "T-then I'll have to carry you there!" he said as he tossed the wet towel aside and knelt down to pick up the Lucario with both hands.

Unfortunately, Chris never took his time to check that the average Lucario weighted far more than the average teenager did. Furthermore, since the Lucario he was treating was bigger, it was a very impossible task to lift him up the floor. The teen struggled, but he couldn't even budge the Lucario's body a little. After several tried that ended in failure, Chris stood back up and began panicking.

"I-I can't carry you to my bed. Y-you're way too heavy!" Chris said. "I need to find another way to carry you, but with what?"

He suddenly gasped and turned to the Poké Ball lying next to the Lucario.

"…The Poké Ball…" Chris muttered. "Maybe I could call you back and then call you out on my bed… That should do it…" He went to pick up. Doubtful that it could work for him, Chris pointed the sphere towards Lucario, the button sticking out to face him. "L-Lucario, return, please!" Chris yelled.

It maybe was a miracle, but the Poké Ball obeyed the teen. A red light shot to Lucario's body so it could turn into a big red frame. The red frame then shot back into the sphere, taking Lucario along with it. Chris gasped at this and stared at the Poké Ball for a brief moment. He shook his head and forgot pondering about the sphere listening to his order. Chris turned to his bed, and for the first time, called out the Aura Pokémon's name.

"Lucario, come on out!" Chris shouted, raising the Poké Ball to the bed.

The sphere opened up, and it shot a light that materialized above the bed. In a blink of an eye, the weak Lucario was now lying down on the bed with his head on top of the pillow. He panted heavily, which made Chris snap out of his state. The teen quickly picked the wet towel and placed it gently over the Aura Pokémon's forehead. "G-grrr…" the Lucario grunted.

"…" Chris shook his head, seeing that the Pokémon seemed to be a lot in pain. "I don't know… I feel that the towel won't cure your high fever that easily… Should I resort to medicines, then? (Furthermore, will…will they work on Pokémon? What if they end up killing him off?)"

"Grrr…" the Lucario grunted more.

"…It's…worth a shot," Chris muttered. "I'm risking his life a bit, but I have no other choice to cure him… Lucario, are you listening to me?"

"…Yes…" the Lucario replied faintly.

"G-good," Chris said, wishing that the Aura Pokémon didn't listen to him when he said he was risking the creature's life. "I'm going to bring you some medicine so you can heal faster. I-I don't know if it'll work, but it's possible that it could heal you."

"Please…do it…"

"Y-yes!" Chris said nodding before he ran out of the room and went to get medicine for fevers.

A minute later, the teen came back, carrying a spoon and a small container with medicine to remove fevers. Chris grabbed a nearby chair from the corner of the room and sat down next to the bed. He gulped at the sight of the Lucario before he poured some pink liquid over the spoon. Once it was bordering the edge a bit, Chris turned to look at Lucario. "Grr…" the Lucario grunted more.

"L-listen," Chris said. "I need you to open your mouth so I can give you the medicine. I-if you want to get over that fever, p-please, swallow the medicine."

"W-will it…heal me?" the Lucario asked weakly.

"(Think positively…think positively…)" Chris thought. "Y-yes, it has to work on you, so please, open your mouth and drink it."

For Chris's surprise, the Lucario slowly opened his mouth wide enough for a spoon to drop anything in it.

"Here it goes…" Chris muttered, slowly moving the spoon into the Aura Pokémon's mouth. He slowly dripped the liquid into Lucario's mouth until the medicine was emptied out from the spoon. The teen gasped after the Lucario coughed a bit, but he then stopped coughing and calmed down. "…D-did it work?"

"…" The Lucario stopped grunting and sighed. It seemed that he had fallen asleep after he drank the medicine.

"Whew…" Chris sighed and placed the spoon back on the drawer with the medicine. He looked back at Lucario. "You're not…dead…a-are you? The medicine didn't kill you or anything, right?" Chris asked, noticing that Lucario's chest was inhaling and exhaling air. "…Looks like you're not dead… I-I'm…I'm glad…"

Everything seemed to be calming down as the Lucario peacefully rested without causing havoc. As the rain kept pouring down the neighborhood, Chris stared at the Lucario for a long while, letting his body rest on the bed.

"…" Chris shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. "I must be insane…but there is a Lucario right in front of my eyes…" he muttered to himself. "How…how in the name of my parents did this happen? This is so strange…so strange that I can hardly believe it's really happening…" He pressed his brow and frowned to himself. "(This is definitely happening…but…I can't believe it that easily…)"

The teen looked at the Aura Pokémon resting on his bed.

"…I need to calm down a bit…and try to think what made all this happen…" Chris muttered. He sighed long enough to exhale a lot of air. "That didn't help much…but it might be enough… Okay, let's see," he began, "one thing that's been bothering me is why this Lucario came badly hurt with that fever…" He looked at his DS on the drawer. He then stared at the Poké Ball he had placed beside it. "This Lucario came out from that Poké Ball, which presumably came out from the DS. Now, the reason behind the Poké Ball's appearance was that…my DS was shot by a lightning bolt… I can easily assume that the lightning bolt triggered all this."

Chris started having a small headache to think about the unlikely event, but he continued.

"However…a lightning bolt causing all this is impossible," Chris muttered in deep thought. "It could easily have destroyed by DS with a single blow, but it didn't. I heard things are destroyed by thunders, but this is ridiculous. DS systems aren't lightning-proof or something…" He glanced back at the Lucario. "Maybe…there was a small chance that something else was at work behind the scene… I can't put my finger on what that was, though. It's impossible for me to find out that by myself…and I don't think this Lucario knows either…

The teen suddenly came back to think about the Pokémon.

"That theory aside, I need to find out why was this Lucario in such a bad condition… Of course…" he muttered, looking worried at his DS. "This Lucario was badly hurt with a high fever. If I recall…I had a Lucario at low health with a Burn condition… If I put these two together, then maybe I can assume that… Oh no…"

Chris hastily grabbed his DS and turned on the system, which made him sigh in relief to think about buying another DS. The game cartridge was spared of being broken, giving him the chance to play his Pokémon Diamond version. He quickly booted the game and went all the way to check his party's conditions.

And sure enough, the spot where his badly hurt Lucario once occupied was empty. His sixth Pokémon was gone from the team for unknown reasons.

"…Then…I remember leaving the Lucario's status screen without turning off the game," Chris muttered. "And since this Lucario is gone from my party…then…t-then…" he looked back at the Lucario on his bed, "t-then…it is…no…h-he…he's the Lucario of my team…"

Chris kept staring at the Lucario. Closing down his DS, the teen put the console on the drawer and placed his hands to his sides. He frowned at the occurrences he experienced over the past minutes, wanting to believe it was all a dream. But the dream was in fact real. A wounded Lucario of his team made it to him through a lightning bolt crashing on his DS without obliterating it.

"…" Chris closed his eyes and sighed. "So now what do I do with him? Should I take care of him while he's like this? He could end up attacking or eating me once I turn my back... A-after all, I know very well he could beat me up and make me his slave. Ack, what am I thinking? I'm thinking so many possibilities, and yet…he doesn't seem to do any of those…" The teen stared more at the Lucario. "…One thing I know for sure is that I could die tomorrow by him… Just because I've seen Pokémon acting docile around people doesn't mean they all are the same. This Lucario… No…" He shook his head. "Lucario should be loyal Pokémon to their trainers. They shouldn't cause any harm, but I think they got quite the temper if they're angered…"

One last thought crossed the teen's mind.

"…Loyal to their trainers…" Chris looked at the Poké Ball on his desk. "…I wonder if I became his trainer just because I have that here… I'm very stupid if I think he's my Pokémon. He would kill me if he found out that…" He groaned a bit. "I-I need to stop thinking. I'm starting to have a headache. I should just go back to sleep for now and…" he gulped and looked back at the Aura Pokémon, "…a-and…stay close to him so he doesn't escape. I-I know I'm weak compared to him, but… I should just sleep on this chair…" He stood back up and went to his closet to get a new bed sheet. He sat back on the chair and covered himself with the bed sheet.

When Chris took another glance at the Lucario, the teen sighed and drifted off to sleep on his chair. He wished that things tomorrow turned out fine. Having a Lucario could be very risky for his welfare, but Chris, still unsure, had to look after him. There was a small chance that the Aura Pokémon would listen to him.

As the rain poured down outside, a few minutes later, Lucario grunted and slowly opened his crimson eyes. He glanced around, seeing some blurs. The only object he could focus long enough to get a perfect view was the teen sitting next to the bed, sleeping soundly on the chair. The Lucario blinked a bit and felt that his fever was slowly disappearing.

"(Who…who is he?)" the Lucario thought, staring at the teen. "(He was the one who treated me, right?)" He glanced around more. "(And…where am I? Where is my trainer?)" He grunted mentally and rested his head on the pillow. "(I need to rest more before I can go anywhere… For now…I'll lay low.)" He turned back to the teen. The Lucario's vision then became clearer as he saw his Poké Ball on the drawer. His eyes widened before looking at the teen. "(Why is my Poké Ball with this kid? Did he steal it from my trainer?)" He glared menacingly at Chris. "(If he stole it from my trainer, he shall suffer the consequences for his foolish act of kidnapping me right no-)"

Before the Lucario could opt for a way to attack the sleeping teen, he noticed that Chris was talking in his sleep. Lucario's ears were strong enough to listen to some small whimpers coming from the teen himself. From what he could tell from the whimpers, Lucario heard Chris saying, "P-please…j-just…d-don't…d-don't hurt me… I-I'm s-so afraid… I-I'm very, very…a-afraid of you…"

Lucario's glare slowly faded into a blank look.

"I…I…I wish you're okay… J-just…please…d-don't hurt me… I beg of y-you… Please…" Chris's whimpers suddenly stopped as he drifted off to sleep.

"…" The Lucario looked at the ceiling while resting his head on the soft pillow. He looked back at Chris and blinked at him. "(This is impossible…)" Lucario thought. "(If he was thief, he should be asking for ransom or threatening my trainer…but he instead is wishing me to be okay…)" He grunted a bit until he got an idea. "(I should see his aura to see if it's bad or not, and then, I'll see what his mind has stored for me… I wonder if he is good…)"

The Lucario's eyes glowed yellow while his entire body was shrouded in a blue aura, trying to examine the teen's aura. The Lucario's sixth sense resonated as he inspected the teen's aura, which was a strong blue aura. Besides sensing auras, the Lucario had the innate ability to read minds. It could be assumed that his aura was strong enough to enable him the power to read minds.

The Lucario's strong aura faded as his eyes turned back to normal. He nodded to himself and closed his eyes. "(This kid has a rather strong aura…and I didn't find any evil intentions within his aura. His mind is very clear with positive thoughts, and some of them were about me recovering…and some were about wishing that I didn't kill him… He's scared of me,)" the Lucario resumed. "(He's scared that I could end up hurting him despite he treated my fever…)" He looked a bit worried at this. "(If I attacked him just now, it'd be an act of disrespect of my part after he went through all the trouble… I shouldn't resort to violence if he doesn't want to do anything bad to me.)"

He grunted in pain and lied down quietly on the bed. The Lucario was feeling better, but it wasn't enough for him to stand up.

"(…)" The Lucario thought one last time before going to sleep, "(I'll rest for the time being…and see what I can find out from this kid tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't end up scaring him…)"

The worried teen and the worried Pokémon were now sleeping in peace, one wishing for things to be okay, and the other wishing to find out about his whereabouts.

Around 9:00 AM, the next morning came with sunlight passing through the window. When it hit the teen's face, Chris woke up with a long yawn. He grumbled a bit and opened his weary eyes, staring at the wall across his bed. "Sleeping while sitting on a chair isn't really my style…" he complained. "This is what I get when somebody seemingly dangerous is resting of my bed… Of course, something like that SHOULDN'T happen," he said, rolling his eyes. He sighed and looked back to his bed…

It was empty.

"…" Chris had such a bad luck. He began sweating right waking up. He couldn't forget anything that happened yesterday. He thought that there was absolutely no way that everything was a dream or a nightmare. He looked back at the drawer where the soot that the lightning bolt left was still there. For his dismay, the Poké Ball was still there. If it was still there, it was obvious that the Lucario was on the bed last night.

And since the bed was empty, there was a good chance that the Lucario had fully recovered.

And if the Lucario had fully recovered, then it meant that he was somewhere around. The Lucario could get away with anything and beat Chris as the teen was thinking out of panic.

"…C-calm down, dammit," Chris muttered to himself, his eyes darting around his spot without moving his head. "There's a Lucario roaming about my house, waiting for the right time to get me and kill me. H-he had spikes on his wrists, right? H-he could use them to smack them against my head and kill me in a really bloody way. I-I hate to see a lot of blood, e-even if it's my own blood!"

The teen gulped many times until he was at a reasonable level that could be defined as calm.

"B-bring yourself together," Chris encouraged himself. "H-he has no right to beat me after I gave him medicine and MY bed to rest, n-not to mention I stayed with him so he was fine!" He stood back up and stared at the wall. "I-I'll go find him in my house. He couldn't have gone out! If he did, it'd cause a big uproar and the police could take him away to a laboratory to do freaky experiments until he dies! I-I'm not letting him go through all that… I have to find him!"

Chris turned around and met face-to-face with a spike chest in front of him. Upon looking up, he turned pale, staring at two crimson eyes staring down at him.

The Lucario was listening to him all this time, standing right behind the chair. The Aura Pokémon crossed his arms and stared down at the silent teen.

"So it was you who looked after me, correct?" the Lucario asked.

"…" Chris thought that the Lucario was glaring down at him, but he knew very well that Lucario always had a strong, sharp look. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell if they looked like that all the time or they were really glaring at anyone and anything. Maybe they hated the world. Chris had a small hunch that they glared for real if their red eyes looked far sharper than usual.

"Would you answer me before you keep staring at me with that look?" the Lucario asked.

Chris promptly screamed and jumped back to his bed, taking cover under his bed sheets. The Lucario was shocked at this reaction and held out his hand towards Chris. "D-don't hurt me! Please, don't hurt me, I beg you!" Chris yelled.

"Don't panic!" the Lucario yelled. "I-I'm not going to hurt you, I promise you that!"

"H-how do I know you're not lying to me?" Chris asked under the bed sheets.

"I hate to lie!" the Lucario replied. "Trust me, please! Just listen and I won't do anything rash!"

Chris whimpered a bit in fear and uncovered his head, looking worried (and shyly) to the Lucario. The teen sniffed a bit and looked a bit doubtful. "…A-are…are you sure you're not going to hurt me?" he asked scared.

The Lucario shook his head and looked away. "No… I won't…"

The teen wished he could trust the Aura Pokémon more.

* * *

_So that's the end of chapter one. The first version was very simple and didn't have much description, but this one seems to be good enough for me. There might be a possibility that future chapters won't be the same as the first version, and there could be brand new chapters as well. However, I just hope here that this fiction was of your enjoyment._

_For now, if you would like to do so, wish me good luck to keep writing this. I want to have the fresh start I wanted to have ever since I became a writer for this site._

_I encourage all Pokémon fanatics to review._


	2. A Fateful Encounter

_I'm happy to know some old and new people like this story so far. This chapter was previously released and corrected in the original one as it is right now, but there are some changes to fit with the previous chapter's flow._

_I encourage aura specialists to read on, enjoy, and review. :D_

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Fateful Encounter**

The teen gulped once more, seeing the aura wielder's concerned look fixed on his face. Even if it was simple enough, the Lucario's worried look helped Chris to feel a bit secure. "…" Chris looked away, eyeing the Lucario by looking at him from the side. The teen's right eye twitched as he asked, "W-what do you want from me?"

The Lucario shook his head. "I don't want anything from you," he said.

"W-why were you standing right behind me all this time without saying anything?"

"Before you woke up, I got off from your bed earlier," the Lucario said. "When I looked around, I was confused of my whereabouts. And when I walked behind you, you suddenly woke up. I was about to say something until you started talking to yourself."

"…T-true enough," Chris muttered.

"…You were the one who looked after me, right?" the Lucario asked.

"Y-yes, sadly," Chris said.

"Why sadly?"

"B-because I'm really scared of you, that's why," Chris admitted, shaking in fear. "D-do you really think that it's so common to see a REAL Pokémon around these parts? Y-you're wrong if you think that."

The Lucario looked confused. "This…isn't Route 224?" he asked.

Chris kept staring at the Lucario.

The Lucario looked around the room. He found several magazines pilled up over one another on a corner, and there was a big, flat TV behind him and in front of the bed. He looked to his left where the window showed a street outside where other houses were extending to each side, and then he looked to his right where a closet was. "…Where am I now?" he asked. "Last time I recall…I was training in Route 224…"

"(Route 224?)" Chris thought. "(S-so then…does he know that he was there with the character I chose to play in that game?)"

"Do you know?" the Lucario asked.

Chris snapped out from his thoughts. "O-oh, um, well, this is not Route 224…" he trailed off in thought. "Y-you're standing inside my room of my house, in Los Angeles, California…"

"...Los Angeles?" the Lucario repeated. "What's Los Angeles?"

"L-Los Angeles is a big city where many people live, including me," Chris said.

"Does this place have Pokémon besides me?" the Lucario asked.

Chris looked away, worried about the Lucario's reaction. "Well…no… There aren't any Pokémon living in here…or any other part of the world…" He looked at the Lucario. "I-I told you that it wasn't common to see real Pokémon here."

"What?" the Lucario asked with some shock. "H-how is that possible? Did all Pokémon disappear completely from here?"

"N-no!" Chris said, looking back at the seemingly tall Lucario. "You don't understand anything. There hasn't been any Pokémon living in this world until you came here somehow…"

Chris stared at the Lucario's face. It looked as if his red eyes were completely still in place, not moving an inch. He looked down at the floor. "…That…sounds unbelievable to me…"

The teen gulped. "S-so what are you going to do now?" he asked, oblivious of the fact he was being serious. "I-I already told you that you're the only real Pokémon in this world."

The Lucario stared back at Chris. "Then…how did I end up in this world?"

The dreaded question made Chris's stomach hurl so much that he would puke at any moment. He was scared of telling the Lucario the truth about his fateful arrival. "…I'm sorry, but…" Chris muttered, trailing off at a loss of words.

"Yes?" the Lucario asked.

"(I can see what he'll do with me,)" Chris thought in panic. "(Once I tell him that he came out of a video game, he'll deny it and shoot me with a glare that'll possibly be even more terrifying than his current look! B-but I need to tell him otherwise!)"

"…" The Lucario looked worried at Chris. "…Can you…tell me?"

Chris swallowed his breath as his lips trembled. "I-in truth…you're just a creature from a video game…"

"…A what from a what?" the Lucario asked.

"(…Oh no, what did I just do?)" Chris asked. "(Now I'll have to explain what I meant by that, and he looks kind of about to breakdown with all these revelations…but…I hate to lie to people…and…what could he do to me if he were to get angry?)"

The Lucario looked a bit serious, but he was still a bit careful. "What do you mean I came from a video game? That sounds very…unbelievable…"

"…I-it's true…" Chris said before he walked reached out for his DS sitting on the charred drawer. He grabbed it and showed it to the Lucario. "You…came out from a video game inserted into this DS…"

The Lucario examined the small console. "…That looks like some sort of Pokédex to me."

"A…what?"

"It's not a Pokédex?" the Lucario asked. "I remember my trainer used this to examine every new Pokémon we encountered together…"

"(His trainer? He means the character I use,)" Chris thought. "(He seems to be very loyal to his trainer…even though it's just a computer-controlled character…) N-no, this isn't one of those. This one is just a mere console where you can play video games…and you're part of one of them…"

"…" the Lucario looked away. "…I…see…"

The teen couldn't believe an important factor. The Aura Pokémon didn't seem to react violently towards the truth about the real world and the video game fact. Chris thought that the Lucario was one of those Pokémon who didn't like to get fooled around, even thought Chris wasn't fooling around at all. "…What is it with you?" Chris asked confused.

The Lucario looked at Chris. "W-what do you mean?"

"I-I mean, what is it with your attitude?" Chris asked. "You're not getting angry at anything I'm telling you. I-I mean, you're not even looking mad because of something I thought you'd thought it was offensive to you…"

The Lucario shook a bit with fright. "I-it's just that…I…I…I don't know what to do here alone…"

"…What?"

"It's true…" the Lucario muttered. "I mean, what am I supposed to do? I'm not like the kind of Pokémon who fight before asking. I like to think carefully before fighting, but I don't fight unless I see someone dear to me in danger like…my trainer…"

"…I…see…" Chris muttered. "(I think I hurt his feelings…)"

"…And when I came into this place, you started to explain really weird facts," the Lucario said. "However, since you nursed me back to health, I thought you weren't hostile. Your aura was very pacific and warm, enough to convince me you were a good person."

"You…sensed my aura?"

"Yes. I sense auras beforehand so I can determine who's a harmless person and who's a dangerous person," the Lucario explained. "And…I can read minds thanks to my aura, and I read yours, and everything didn't seem like a lie at all. You really knew those were truths…and they scared me…a lot…" he muttered the last part.

Chris looked worried. The Lucario, surprisingly, looked very afraid. "W-well…I'm not kidding here or trying to fool you… To be honest, I'm frightened a bit at this whole thing of a real Pokémon jumping out my mere DS…"

The Lucario stared at Chris. "You are?"

"You don't get to see a _six_ feet tall Lucario coming out from a small screen through a Poké Ball commonly around these parts…" Chris said skeptically. "T-that's really impossible, but you still did it…"

"…"

"And you expect me to react scared?" Chris asked. "I-I'm honestly scared, or really frightened about this whole thing! It's just that I remain calm to be careful… How does this explain that you came in here, breaking apart some reality?"

"I'm as confused as you are," the Lucario said, shrugging at the thought.

Chris sighed. "Oh goodness, this is all so… Just…I-I don't know what to believe anymore…"

"…" the Lucario looked down. "…Maybe I should just leave this place and find my way back home… You don't look like you want me here, and I think the same as well…"

"…Wait…you going OUT here?" Chris asked. "O-oh NO, you're not leaving this place!"

The Aura Pokémon took this as some kind of suggestion that he was captured against his will. He glared a bit at Chris. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to say you kidnapped me?"

"(…H-holy crap, his glare looks really threatening to me. It looks even worse when he's taller than me…)" Chris gulped. "I-I'm not kidnapping you! H-haven't you thought that I'm the only person of the whole planet who's not going to freak out and call the police to restrain you?"

"You're going to do that to me?" It seemed that the Lucario's glare looked more and more menacing, but the fact that his hands flared up with aura made it clear that he was about to leap at Chris and beat the hell out of him at any second.

However, Chris was a nice thinker. His forehead sweated a lot, but his mind avoided getting into a state of panic. "P-please, don't hit me or do something to me!" he said as he backed away to the wall. "Y-you told me you thought before making an action, you remember that? A-also, you told me I had a nice aura, and I'm really a nice person! W-why would I kidnap someone who would surely kill me off, anyway?"

The Lucario glared at Chris. A silence took place in the room before the Lucario's aura vanished completely. He sighed in shame and looked down. "…Sorry for sounding threatening… I-I…was getting very stressed about all this…"

"(Translation: h-he'll kill me off very soon if I don't do this right,)" Chris thought with worry at the sight of the ashamed Lucario. "W-what I was trying to say before you were about to hurt me i-is that, if you go out there, people will scream and label you as a monster!"

"But I'm not a monster…" the Lucario muttered.

"I-I know you're not a monster," Chris said. "I-I think I can live with seeing you around now that you seem docile…as long as you behave yourself…"

"…I will," he muttered.

"…" Chris looked preoccupied and moved closer to the edge of his bed. "R-really, everything is just fine for now. As long as you listen to me, you won't get in any trouble while you're here with me."

The Lucario looked ashamed at Chris. "…I don't think I'll handle this very well, not without my trainer…" He looked to the drawer where his Poké Ball. "…My Poké Ball…"

Chris glanced at the spherical object. "Oh, that… That's how you came into this place."

The Lucario shrugged. "How unbelievable…"

"…" Chris looked away. "…Let me guess something…you really want to go back to your world as soon as possible, right?"

"Yes…"

"…But…I-I don't know how, though…" Chris muttered. "If I knew, I could've helped you right after you were healed…"

The Lucario looked concerned. "So…am I…stuck in here?"

"…" Chris silently nodded, making the Lucario's fear grow. "…I'm sorry for telling you this… It must be hard to believe for you, a-and for me as well, but… "

"…It's okay…" the Lucario said, "it's not your fault, anyway…"

The teen forced a worried smile. He tried to cheer the creature up. "…But at least you're here, though," he said. "You're not somewhere where your life is in danger or something, right?"

"…" The Lucario remained silent, looking down upon the floor.

"(Oh great, now he's going to be mopping around with that attitude…)" Chris thought. "(I can't have him look like this. He looks really sad, even though his eyes kind of give a glare… N-no, I need to do something for him. I-I can avoid making him mad, a-and it's easy for me to show some hospitality.)"

"…" The Lucario sat down on the floor and sighed. "What do I do now…" he trailed off. "I'm stuck in this place without any means to go back…"

"I-I'm sorry, really," Chris said. "I would like to know a way to get you back to your world, but I don't know one… It's really going to be impossible to accomplish a big feat like that in here..."

"…" The silence the Lucario made a few times made Chris feel uncomfortable. The teen thought it was amazing that a Lucario was there before his eyes, but it didn't look that exciting if that same Lucario didn't look better than being depressed.

Sadly giving up, Chris sighed and frowned. "…I don't know what to do to help you," Chris said. "…But maybe I should leave you alone for the time being…"

The Lucario looked at him. "Well…maybe I need time to think about what I should do now. It could concern you, but…I wish to be alone and think more about this… Please, ignore me and do whatever you do here in your home…"

Chris gave the Lucario a worried look. "Okay, if you insist…" he trailed off before he went stood up and started to fix his bed with the bed sheets, Lucario remaining still in front of it as he stared at the TV's reflection depicting him and Chris fixing his bed.

The Aura Pokémon closed his eyes and sighed while Chris ignored his presence. For Chris, it was a bit hard to ignore Lucario. He accidentally looked at the Lucario's back just to satisfy himself that he was real. He shook his head at this, trying to focus on his usual house chores. He felt a very odd guilt that couldn't cheer him up.

The Lucario's left ear seemed to be listening to some mutters Chris was making. "…It's kind of nice that there's someone here in my house, though…" Chris muttered. "At least I don't feel like I'm all alone…but still, I…don't feel different…"

It was better to ask away so the Lucario didn't feel stressed over his current problem.

"Pardon me?" the Lucario suddenly asked, turning to his left to look at Chris. "Sorry, but I happened to listen that it was good you weren't alone anymore… Why is that?"

Chris just finished with his bed and looked a bit shocked at the Lucario. "U-um, you heard me talking to myself?" he asked.

"I did," the Lucario stated. "And now that I think about it…don't people have families living in a same house like this one?"

Chris chuckled nervously. "Oh, that… W-well, I'm an exception to that fact…"

"What? You are?"

"Y-yes," Chris said, hinting some kind of depression. "I don't know if I should just tell this to you..."

"I'm kind of interested, but if you don't want to..." the Lucario trailed off.

Chris smiled a bit. He thought again to change his thoughts. "…I think it's okay if I tell you," he said. "…You see, my family is just my dad, my mom, and me. Both of them have been away ever since I graduated from kindergarten."

"Why is that?"

Chris looked down. "My parents work as business specialists. They both met in university and fell in love. Their job is a weird one to me because they help companies across the country and sometimes overseas to provide plans for further development to nourish them all with complicated ideas and plans."

"That is amazing," the Lucario remarked as he blinked a bit. "…But why leave you behind? Wouldn't it be better if you went with them?"

Chris looked outside the window. "Their work is so hard that they have to be traveling almost everywhere, and they needed to do it so they could maintain me," Chris explained. "And honestly speaking, they thought it was better for me if I remained somewhere where I didn't have to be constantly setting in. This is where we live so it'd be obvious for me to settle in a place like this city. Luckily, I have my uncles watching over me whenever I want some company."

"…" The Lucario nodded. "And if you're all alone here, how do you manage to live by yourself?"

"My uncles constantly drop by like two times a week," Chris said. "They like me. They cook for me. Thanks to them, I got used to live alone…but it's kind of…very sad for me to rest in a house where there's no one else rather than myself. They used to live here until I learned how to cook for myself. I'm not a good cook, but at least I can make food."

"It…must've been really hard for you…" the Lucario muttered in remark.

"D-don't get me wrong. I'm very used to this kind of thing," Chris said with a nervous smile. "I have a few friends who drop by every once in a while, so it's all good."

"…" The Lucario stared at Chris for some seconds. "…But you still feel very alone, right?"

"…W-well…yes…" Chris muttered. "Since you're here…I thought it'd be nice if you settled in here…but that's just wishful thinking. I don't want to force you to stay here, anyway. Even if it's amazing that you're here…I have to keep a straight face and be honest and fair."

The Lucario looked away for a moment before looking back at Chris. "And seeing that I don't have a way to go back to my world, it made you think I'd stay here with you?"

"Unless…you want to go out and become pursued for looking like some sort of monster…" Chris said. "…If you stay in here, though, you won't get in trouble."

"…I see," the Lucario said.

Chris nodded. "So don't think bad stuff about me, okay? Don't worry, either."

" I won't think about it during my stay in this place with you. I'll live with you so you don't feel alone, and so I can be safe. It looks like a nice place to live, and…you seem very nice."

"Of course it is," Chris said with a chuckle before he walked away from the room through the door, the Lucario staring at him in confusion.

"…I thought he was going to get happy for me because I said I wanted to stay with him," the Lucario muttered to himself.

At that moment, Chris peeked from the door at the Lucario. The Aura Pokémon turned to look at him. "W-what did you just say just now?" Chris asked in shock.

"I…said I was going to live with you," the Lucario said.

Chris shook his head in shock before he quickly walked over to the Lucario's side. Even though he looked surprised, he maintained a careful approach and mind to the Lucario. "W-what? A-are you even sure about your decision? I-I mean, I know you're stuck in here and all that, but seriously, you're planning to stay here with me?"

The Lucario nodded. "I don't have a place to go in this…world," he said. "And seeing that you're kind enough to me, why not stay here?"

"W-well, for one, it doesn't really concern you to live here," Chris said with honesty. "Really, you're just jumping over the fence…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're making quick decisions…" Chris shook his head. "B-but anyway, I don't want you to live here if you don't want to! Really, I'm used to live alone already…"

"And I want to break that depressing thought," the Lucario said before he stood up, looking down at Chris. "I read your mind, and you were looking even worse when you were talking about you being alone. Even you were thinking about avoiding crying."

Chris blushed a bit. "I-I… Y-you're really lucky to have mind-reading powers," he admitted. "B-but yes, I was thinking about that… Wait, I'm not even your trainer!"

"But you have my Poké Ball with you," the Lucario pointed out, glancing at the mentioned object. "My other trainer left it behind, and you have it with you now, so you might be some kind of temporal replacement until I get to go back…provided there's some kind of way, that is…"

Chris looked worried, noticing the Lucario's depressed look. "Please, stop looking so depressed…" Chris said.

The Lucario looked at him. "You're the one looking depressed. You were thinking you didn't want me to go as well."

"O-okay, seriously, stop reading my mind right now," Chris said in embarrassment. "You're being a bit annoying, you…mind stalker…"

"Sorry…" the Lucario muttered, "it's just that I wanted to get my stress out of me. I wanted to do something else so I didn't feel like this…"

"And staying here will help you with that?"

"Why not? I think it'll be a nice thing if a stayed here. Why are you opting against it?"

"I-I'm not so sure about that decision because it just doesn't seem right to me to make you stay while I'm not even telling you to do so," Chris said worried. "…Is it really good for you?"

"It is."

"…I don't know if I should listen…" Chris muttered. "Having to live alone by yourself makes you a serious person; otherwise I'd been really excited and happy for you coming in here…"

"Well, I think I like your attitude," the Lucario said. "I know you're an honest person. I can try to become used to live here."

Chris shook his head. "I-I'm still skeptical, though," he said. "If you're really sure about staying here, then…I won't say no, but if you do, you'll have to listen to what I have to say because you don't know anything about this world…"

The Lucario nodded. "That's fine with me."

The way the Lucario responded sounded as if he had accepted Chris as his trainer. The teen blinked a bit, concerned about the situation. "…Okay…" Chris muttered. "So…now you're the first guest to stay in my house…"

The Lucario nodded once more. "I won't do anything bad while I'm here. If you want, I can stay somewhere in here and meditate."

Chris looked a bit worried. "…Do you just meditate all day or what? I think it sounds a bit boring to me."

"But it helps to channel and hone my aura," the Lucario said. "It's also very calm and nice."

"Well, I honestly think you can do better than that," Chris said. "W-what else do you do besides meditating all day?"

"I fight against other Pokémon…eat…meditate…and sleep…" the Lucario trailed off.

"(…What am I thinking that's something Pokémon in the games do ALL day?)" Chris thought with skepticism. "(They need to do other things like that, seriously…) O-okay, since I'm a bit concerned about what you do, I'm going to show you how to spend the time."

The Lucario looked confused. "But it is fine with me to do what I always do. My trainer made me do that."

"(If that's true…then I might be guilty because I technically control the trainer…)" Chris thought. "Well…that trainer of yours… (and if I say something insulting, he'll kill me off for sure. Lucarios are loyal Pokémon to their trainers, am I right?) …didn't teach you that many things for sure…"

"She didn't?"

"(…Oh, right, I chose the girl Dawn in the Diamond version and Lucas in the Pearl version…) T-that's what I can tell," Chris said. "You haven't done more things like watching TV or doing some kind of hobby? I think Pokémon are capable of doing other stuff…"

The Lucario looked away. "Now that you mention it…I think I can do more…"

"(And is it just me or is he way too naïve?)" Chris thought. "(I don't really like people being this naïve…) If you think you can do more, then…maybe I could help you out."

"Can you?" the Lucario asked with a bit of interest.

"S-sure, I don't mind as long as you listen to me," Chris said. "A Pokémon like you can do a lot more than all those things. I'm sure of it."

The Lucario thought for a moment. "If that's so…maybe I'll make me feel less stressed."

"(I can see him destroying something to its oblivion…)" Chris shrugged at the thought. "(I saw how his hands flared with aura… Come to think of it…can he use his attacks in here? I…better not ask or else he could do one and destroy something in my room…)"

"So…" the Lucario shifted his eyes around, "what are you going to do?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I-I'm going to eat breakfast," Chris said. "You can come if you want."

"Do you have Oran Berries?"

Chris stared at him. "…No, there aren't any Oran Berries in here…and other things you were fed in your world…"

"…Am I going to starve to death?"

"D-don't be so silly," Chris said in disgust. "You've never eaten hotcakes, scrambled eggs, or even a small sandwich?"

"No, because I've never eaten those before… I was usually inside my Poké Ball all the time."

"(I pity him so much…)" Chris thought. "(It must be really boring to be inside that thing for long periods of time…)" He looked serious at the Lucario. "Well, from now on, I'll make sure you get to see everything you've been missing."

The Lucario stared at him. "I've been missing many things?"

"Oh god, you don't even know how many," Chris said. "Look, I'll try my best to let you see and know everything you need to see and know. The way you currently are isn't really going to benefit you that much during your stance in my home."

The Lucario sighed. "Maybe…"

"(Okay, he seems calm and obedient enough for someone to tell him stuff,)" Chris thought. "(Thank goodness he isn't a wild Lucario…but even so, there aren't any wild Lucarios you can catch in the games…)" He nodded at the Lucario. "Do you want to eat breakfast with me? I can picture you eating hotcakes. I can cook a few things, though, but my uncles usually make leftovers and dishes for me to eat later."

The Lucario's belly suddenly growled a bit, making him blush in embarrassment. "I…suppose I want to eat…"

"…P-pfft…" Chris chuckled a bit. "Y-you know, it looks a bit funny that you have a bit of a skinny body and you're hungry… (But, then again, with how big he is, it doesn't really look that different now…)"

The Lucario looked a bit annoyed at this. "I only eat when I'm hungry, not when I want to."

"You look like the kind of serious people who eat only when needed, but it's not bad to eat something you want to eat unless you don't have control," Chris explained. "But anyway, come with me, please."

As the teen turned around, the Lucario held out his hand. "W-wait, please," the Lucario said, stopping Chris on his tracks.

Chris turned to look at the Lucario. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, I…just wanted to ask for your name," the Lucario said.

"…M-my name? Oh, right, I didn't introduce myself yet," Chris said before forcing a smile. "You can call me Chris, that's my name. I don't like to mention my full name because it's…embarrassing to me."

"Chris…" the Lucario said. "That's a nice name," he said.

"Is it? Oh, thank you…" Chris said embarrassed. "So…do you have a nickname or you're just named Lucario?"

"Just Lucario," the Lucario said. "I hate pointless nicknames."

"Me too," Chris admitted before he chuckled. "W-well then, nice to meet you, Lucario. I hope your stance here is of your liking…"

"Nice to meet you too, Chris," Lucario said. "Can you do me a favor?"

"W-what would that be?"

"Could you…stop stuttering as if I'm going to hurt you?" Lucario asked. "It's useless and annoying to stutter even if I'm not going to do something bad. You can trust me that I won't do any harm to you or your house."

Chris sighed with relief. "R-really? Oh, sorry… I think I can trust you fully now," he admitted, making a true smile. "In fact, I'm getting very used in seeing your face."

"If you're going to say something like I glare all day, you're wrong," Lucario said.

"But I might be lying, though…" Chris muttered. "…I'll pull this out somehow. Have some faith in me, okay?"

"Since you're the only one here…I'll put all the faith in you," Lucario said.

"I won't disappoint you…I guess," Chris said. "Well, let's go and eat to the living room."

The Aura Pokémon obeyed and followed the teen out from the room. As they both walked out, Lucario found himself walking in a hallway where the space was big. There were five rooms on each side, giving ten rooms in total. The walls were white, and the floor had white tiles. Lucario blinked at this before looking at Chris. "Why are here so many rooms while you're the only person living in this house?"

"Oh, well, t-that's because my parents wanted to have a big house so I could have some maids to attend me, but I said I didn't want to, but the construction was done before I could say something. This happened like five years ago. They requested the construction during that time."

"And you like how it looks now?"

"Kind of," Chris said. "If you're the only one in here, you hear echoes. At least I don't have somebody in here that accidentally snores during the night. You can listen to those sounds very well."

"Has somebody lived in here with you before?"

"My uncles and cousins, but that happens rarely," Chris explained.

Lucario also found some tables where small frames with photos of Chris and his parents were. The Aura Pokémon sometimes stopped to look at the photos, which made Chris stop as well. Lucario grabbed a portrait and looked at the photo. "These are your parents, right?"

"Yes," Chris said. "This photo was taken a year ago when they came to have some days with me."

"You three look happy."

"You'd be happy to see them if you had a situation like I do," Chris said with a sigh.

Lucario looked at Chris's depressed expression. "S-sorry if I brought up this all of a sudden…" he apologized.

"It's okay," Chris said. "Like I said before, I'm used to this," he said before walking away.

Lucario stared at Chris for a while, thinking about being careful not to bring depressing matters that haunted the teen's childhood. The Aura Pokémon put the frame on the table and followed Chris.

Once the two walked out from the hallway, they found themselves standing in a wide living room. The exit was just located to the far right corner of the room, and there was a red sofa in front of a flat screen TV on the front wall. Several other portraits were hanging around the walls; some of them being other kinds of portraits other than photos. To the left was the kitchen, which looked as big as the living room. A long table with plates, forks, spoons, and butter knifes were positioned just in front of the kitchen. There were some stairs going up to a new floor right beside the left side of the hallway, but Lucario wasn't interested in going up.

"There's a lot of space in here," Lucario said, his voice echoing a bit.

"And this is only the first floor," Chris said as he walked towards the kitchen. "This house has three floors. The second floor has some more rooms, and there are three bathrooms in there as well. There is also a terrace with a nice view of the neighborhood. The third floor is a big attic where we store decorations and other stuff. Outside, we have a wide backyard for parties, but I don't like to hold parties that much. Too bad I don't have a pool in there because that would be nice to have."

Lucario looked at the windows with cream-colored curtains.

"Oh, and I think it's okay for you to look outside as long as nobody is outside," he said as he entered the kitchen.

Lucario instead took a seat on the sofa to look at his surroundings. The Aura Pokémon relaxed for a bit before he looked up to the fan hanging on the ceiling of the room. "…I think everything seems fine for now," he muttered before looking to the kitchen where Chris was already preparing the breakfast. "Somehow, I think that I'm a bit intrigued to see more of this world…but it's all so confusing…"

Lucario saw that Chris smiled for a moment.

"…" Lucario made a small smile. "Maybe I should just wait and see what happens here. He looks nice and trustworthy to me... (I'm going to be careful around him, though… I'm still scared...)"

While Chris poured some flour in a bowl, he was deep in thought about Lucario. "(It's still so weird for me to have a Lucario sitting in my living room,)" Chris thought as he went to the fridge to get some eggs. "(I'm going to be careful around him, though… I'm still scared… I hope he doesn't read my thoughts all the time…)"

The Aura Pokémon just sat back and looked up to the ceiling, thinking about the situation he was facing. Many thoughts raced inside his mind; some about what he would do in the world he was in, and some about the hospitality he was offered to get. It was confusing for him, but he thought that he could manage to do anything as long as the teen would be his guide.

Lucario didn't consider Chris as his trainer. Chris was just some sort of replacement for his previous trainer. The Aura Pokémon couldn't change teams. It looked as if he had an emergency person for him to stay. On the other hand, Lucario thought there were some differences between Chris and the trainer.

For a brief moment, Lucario thought Chris seemed to be more interesting. Lucario shook the thought away, not wanting to think about somebody else being better than his trainer was.

Some time of thinking passed, and Lucario could smell the scent of warm bread floating about. "Breakfast's ready," Chris called over, walking out from the kitchen with two plates with hotcakes on them. "Get over here to the table to eat, Lucario."

Lucario stood up and looked at Chris. "You want me to take a seat?"

"Yes," Chris said. "You're not really going to eat on the floor, right? You should eat on a table."

"I'm used to eat on the floor."

Such twisted fact made Chris look a bit in disgust at Lucario.

"…Oh no, you're going to be a little bit more sophisticated than that," Chris said while he shook his head. "You're going to eat while sitting on a chair. It's too ridiculous to put a plate down on the floor for you."

Lucario stared at Chris. "Fine…whatever you say…" he muttered as he went over to the table.

Chris sat down on a chair while Lucario stared at one besides the teen before he slowly sat on it. His tail was stuck from moving anywhere from the right side. Lucario looked at Chris. "I think it's a bit better…" he commented.

"It's much better," Chris said. "I don't know you, but I think you have potential from turning into a sophisticated Pokémon."

"I have?" Lucario asked.

The fact that Lucario asked too many questions at once made Chris think Lucario was careful. He expected Lucario to just ignore him completely and lean to wall, but he was actually listening.

"…Seriously now," Chris began, "why is it that you are so…calm and collective?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Lucario asked. "I'm not like those Lucarios who tend to be lone wolves or something. I admit I only listen to my trainer, but since you're the only one I can rely on for now…"

"…You want to put all your loyalty on me instead of any other person out in this world," Chris said.

"…" Lucario looked away. "Yes… I said before that you were honest."

"But then, you're like the Lucarios who tend to be lone wolves," Chris said. "You're just shifting your loyalty to me because you don't have your trainer with you. I'm just a replacement for you, right?"

Lucario looked back at him and shook his head. "No, that sounds offensive to say," he said. "You're more like…a friend I can trust."

"…" Chris sighed and briefly smiled at the friendly "F" word. "Okay, I get the picture now. You're like a clueless Pokémon who doesn't know what to do but still uses his mind to think about a nice solution."

"Yes."

"…That works enough for me," Chris said with a small smile before looking at the hotcakes. "We better start eating before they get cold."

"Right…" Lucario said skeptically.

Lucario merely kept staring down at his hotcakes while Chris himself began to eat them with maple syrup he had brought to the table earlier. Looking to his right, Chris looked at Lucario. "What is it now? Why aren't you eating?" Chris asked.

"I don't know if I should eat this with my hands or the forks you're using," Lucario said.

Chris sighed and set down his fork. "Well, I know I've never seen a Pokémon using a fork (except in the anime), but I'll teach you how…" He stared at Lucario's three fingers on each hand. "…Oh my god…"

Surprisingly enough, Chris looked shocked once Lucario moved his fingers individually. Chris always thought the fingers never moved alone, but his thoughts were proved wrong. "Is it bad that I only have three fingers instead of five like humans do?" Lucario asked.

"W-well, no…" Chris trailed off. "You're…moving your fingers individually and not together… Hmm…let's see… If you want to grab a fork, then you should grab it with two fingers while using the last one to hold it firmly, and that shouldn't be much of a problem with holding a butter knife… Yes… It does sound like it could work…"

_A few seconds later…_

Lucario was now grabbing a fork in his right hand and a butter knife on his left hand.

"There," Chris said. "Wow, I never thought you could pull it out, but you did…"

"Thank you?" Lucario thanked, confused as he held his utensils.

"U-um, you're welcome…" Chris said. "Now, let's start eating…"

Lucario looked back at his plate before he started to cut some pieces of the hotcakes. He pinched a pile with his fork and slowly bit them with his fangs. Once he started munching them inside his mouth, Lucario made a small smile.

Chris chuckled. "How does it taste?"

Lucario looked at him and nodded before swallowing his food. "It tastes good," Lucario said. "I can't believe I didn't eat this before."

"Heheheh, I know," Chris chuckled heartily. "I knew it was going to be good for you. Now you should finish eating it by yourself. Oh, add some syrup to it so it tastes better," he said, spilling some maple syrup over a side of Lucario's plate. "There, try to dip a piece into it. If you end up liking it, which I know you will, you can add more."

Lucario had some more confidence in the instruction before he did as he was told. Soon, Lucario found himself eating hotcakes with maple syrup while Chris did the same. The Aura Pokémon tasted the breakfast as if he had never eaten something different before. Every bite he took made him feel very relaxed. He would occasionally glance towards Chris, finding him minding his own plate. Lucario could see a small smile forming on the teen as he ate. For a brief moment, Lucario sensed that there was some kind of a nice feeling to see the teen smiling, just as if Lucario did a nice action to make Chris happy.

Lucario suddenly shook his head and returned to eat in silence. He wanted to finish eating before Chris could see he was looking at him.

After finishing eating, Chris set his plate aside and looked at Lucario, who had been finished with his breakfast as well. "Was it good?" Chris asked.

"Yes, it was," Lucario said, making a happy expression. "It was very tasty."

Chris couldn't help but think it looked a bit curious to see a Lucario giving a happy expression like that. The teen smiled a bit, and he even though it looked a bit cute.

"I'm glad you liked it," Chris said. "Satisfied?"

"Very much," Lucario said nodding.

"Well…that's good," Chris said. "Now, let's watch TV together."

Lucario looked confused. "Watch TV?"

"I'm certain you didn't watch TV before, right?"

"…No…"

"Then you're missing a whole part of everything because there's much more to see in TV."

"Really? How much?"

"Well…not that much because many things can be boring…" Chris said. "But that depends of what you'd like to see."

"I didn't watch TV because I was constantly traveling around with my trainer," Lucario said.

"More of a reason to make you watch TV," Chris said before he pushed his chair away and stood up. "Come with me. We're going to watch TV for a long time. There's a good program schedule today."

Lucario was still confused, but he listened to Chris and decided to follow him to the living room where Chris began to show Lucario some TV programs.

The day passed, and night came in fast. Chris and Lucario were now returning to Chris's room where Chris sat down on his bed and looked up at Lucario. "So, how was everything so far?"

Lucario nodded. "It was very nice," he said. "I think I liked to see those 'anime' programs you showed me. I liked the ones with those hard battles."

"You did?" Chris asked. "I think that could suggest you want to have a battle like that…"

Lucario looked away. "I like to fight against other Pokémon… It allows me to get skilled…but it's too bad that there aren't any Pokémon in here besides m-"

This was a clear sign Lucario was going to get homesick.

"O-oh no, don't you dare get sad now!" Chris interrupted, shocking Lucario a bit. "Look, before you start getting depressed, you have to stay optimistic."

Lucario looked unsure. "How can I stay optimistic at a time like this? I don't know how to go back to my world."

Chris sighed. "Okay, I don't know either…" he admitted. "…But…just try not to look sad, you got that? It makes me feel guilty that you're going through all this, and I'm trying my best to make you feel comfortable…unless I'm doing a bad job at it…"

Lucario quickly shook his head. "N-no, it's not your fault. To the contrary, I'm very grateful for your hospitality to this point. Thanks to you, I'm experiencing many new things," he said. "I couldn't be fortunate if it wasn't…because of you, Chris."

The teen stared at the Aura Pokémon before he smiled a bit. "Well…thank you, Lucario… It makes me happy to hear that from a person like you. You're not that bad at all."

Lucario looked away in embarrassment. "I-I'm just being nice and careful, that's all…"

"Those traits will help you a lot as you stay in here," Chris said before he yawned. "But for now…I want to sleep…"

Lucario nodded and sat down on the floor's mattress. "Fine," he said.

Chris gasped a bit. "Wait, are you seriously going to sleep on the floor?"

Lucario nodded again. "I sleep by meditating in peace. Besides, I don't think your bed has enough space for both of us to fit in."

Chris looked to his bed. "…Well…that's true…" he muttered.

"Please, don't insist," Lucario said. "I'll sleep by sitting down against the bed like this," he said before he moved his back and leaned it against the bed. He looked over his left shoulder to Chris. "See? It's fine by me. It's not that cold, but honestly speaking, I can handle a little cold very well."

Chris looked worried at this. "Okay…if you say so…" he trailed off before he slowly lied down on his bed and covered himself with his bed sheets. He looked to the right where Lucario looked over his right shoulder at him. "Before I go to sleep…how can you talk? I've never seen a Lucario talking by using the mouth…"

"You haven't?" Lucario asked. "I thought all Lucarios were like I am. I didn't speak much before because I was always distracted by all the battles I've been taking part of."

"(I can't believe he doesn't know much about his own kind…)" Chris thought. "(But I'm too tired to keep asking or doing something else… I'd better ask tomorrow and see what else I can find out…) It doesn't matter," Chris said. "It's nice to see you can talk that way. I'd be a bit spooky to me if you talked through telepathy."

"I can do that," Lucario said. "It's very easy for me."

"O-okay, don't do it, please," Chris shrugged before he yawned and closed his eyes. "Oh well, good night, Lucario…"

"…Good night, Chris…" Lucario muttered before he faced the TV in front of the bed and closed his eyes.

Lucario heard Chris yawning once more before he turned to the wall to the right of the bed and fell asleep. The Aura Pokémon then glanced out to the window where he saw the moon in the sky. He stared at it for a moment before he silently sighed to himself. "(The moon here doesn't look that different… It looks a bit better, maybe…)" he thought. "(…I'm scared about all this…)" he thought with worry. "(What if I'm stuck forever in this world? I can't think of anything right now, and I'm also scared about what lies in here…)"

Suddenly, Lucario overheard a small chuckle coming from Chris. The Aura Pokémon looked over his right shoulder where Chris kept chuckling to himself. Curious about what Chris was chuckling, Lucario decided to use his telepathy to listen to the teen.

Lucario found out Chris wasn't fully asleep yet.

"(I can't believe there's a Lucario right besides me…)" Chris thought. "(And…I can hardly believe he's staying in here with me… That makes me feel not that alone anymore, and I have a very special person to keep me some company… I…I could never ask for something more than having him here… I'm…really going to miss him if he were to go back to his world…so…I'll have to make him feel comfortable here until that happens… Please, Lucario…stay here with me a little longer so I don't be alone… This is just a whim…but…I want you to keep living with me…if you want to…)" Chris yawned a bit more before he fell asleep completely.

Lucario blinked at this before he looked back outside to the sky. Staring at the moon, the Aura Pokémon suddenly smiled a bit to himself before chuckling mentally. "(…But now that I think about it myself…I'm not alone in this, and I'm doing something good for him…)"

He closed his eyes and leaned back to the bed.

"(…Maybe…this isn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be… Honestly, this…is going to be a completely new experience for me…and I hope Chris can take care of me…and…I'll do the same in exchange for him…)"

Lucario looked back to Chris, who now slowly turned to face him with closed eyes.

"(…I'm sure of this,)" Lucario thought before he closed his eyes and fell asleep while the moonlight illuminated the room with the two sleeping in peace.

The moon kept shining throughout the nighttime, giving a calm atmosphere inside the room, perfect for having a night to sleep nicely for the Aura Pokémon.

* * *

_Phew, this chapter turned out much better than the first version. I swear the first version looked like everything was so fast paced. I hope this one looked more realistic to you._

_Also, the title is a bit of a reference to those special Pokémon you get through special events. Figure out why it was used here since it shouldn't be that hard._

_I encourage aura apprentices to review. ;)_


	3. A Very Calm, Relaxing Approach

_Unlike the original chapter, this chapter has new scenes to cover up some details. As always, I'm doing my best to make this a much more interesting story._

_I encourage all readers to read on, enjoy, and review. :)_

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Very Calm, Relaxing Approach**

The birds' chirps sounded outside the room as Lucario slept while leaning against the bed. The Aura Pokémon slowly opened his eyes and mildly yawned. He looked around the room a bit before looking back at Chris, who was still sleeping. Lucario stared at him for a bit, thinking what the teen would show him today if there was something else he hadn't done before.

Out of a cue, the teen yawned loudly and woke up. He turned his head to Lucario and nearly yelped. "A-aah!" Chris yelped, startling Lucario.

"G-good morning," Lucario greeted startled.

Chris backed away a bit. "S-sorry, you were staring right at me after I opened my eyes. I-I got scared, t-that's all…" he trailed off embarrassed.

Lucario looked down a bit. "I'm sorry…"

"Well, you kind of have a scary-looking face…" Chris muttered. "…But…good morning, anyway…"

An awkward silence ensued between the two.

"…" Lucario looked away. "…What are you going to do today?" he asked.

"U-um, I was about to make breakfast for the two of us, but I completely forgot to take a shower yesterday because I was…distracted with you."

"I'm sorry for that," Lucario apologized.

"Oh, it's okay," Chris said, forcing a smile. "I actually like to show you anything a normal person does."

Lucario turned to Chris. "Should a Pokémon really try to do the same stuff humans do?" he asked.

Chris rubbed his chin. "Well, I never thought about that…but seeing that you didn't really get sick with eating normal breakfast, I suppose Pokémon can do it…" He chuckled and stared at Lucario. "If that's true, then you can do a lot more things than I'd ever do by myself. I'm a bit jealous."

Lucario shook his head. "I don't know if I can do what a human can do," he said before his eyes drifted away. "…But I think I like to do other stuff than battling and meditating all the time."

"(I've got to wonder why he doesn't look like a bodybuilder yet,)" Chris thought. "Don't get so discouraged. With some time, you'll be doing the same things I do every day."

"I'll try to distract myself from getting depressed…"

"You sound depressed now," Chris pointed out.

"I-I know," Lucario said embarrassed.

Chris looked at the door. "Well, I need to take a shower before I forget again," he said. "A shower… Wait, that reminds me about something else."

"What?"

The teen looked at the Aura Pokémon. "Do Pokémon take showers often?" he asked.

"A shower?" Lucario said.

"Yes, as in cleaning yourselves," Chris said.

"Oh, we clean ourselves."

"…How?" Chris asked before he shrugged. "I-I hope you don't clean yourself by licking your body…"

Lucario looked upset at this. "I'm not some kind of filthy Growlithe if that's what you're trying to say," he said.

"N-no, sorry," Chris said with a gulp, making Lucario stop glaring at him. "I honestly thought you did that because you look like a dog…"

"…" Lucario stared at Chris.

"…Fine, you don't really look like a dog," Chris said. "But how do you clean yourself?"

"I just enter a body of water and dry myself," Lucario said.

"That just won't do."

"It won't?"

"Of course it won't," Chris said. "Water just gets you wet, but it'll just remove stuff like mud but not the smell. I can bet that your…" he stared at Lucario's weird black wheels, "…armpits smell horrible," he finished.

Lucario looked away for a bit. "I've never smelled my armpits before so…"

Chris turned away to avoid seeing the Aura Pokémon smelling his armpits. A fast sneeze clarified the teen's horror about Lucario before he turned back at him. "Oh my god, you ARE dirty," he said.

Lucario seemed to be shrugging a lot while blushing a bit. "I-it never occurred to me to do that sort of thing like smelling myself… The odor is just…unbearable to my nose…"

"I'm surprised you don't radiate it while you were close to me yesterday during breakfast," Chris said disgusted. "I think it's about time you use soaps and shampoos on yourself. Oh, and you'll be using less water as well."

The Aura Pokémon looked concerned. "Will that make the odor go away?" he asked.

"I'd be dismayed if somebody asked a question like that to me…but in your case, I don't feel like that," Chris said. "Yes, it'll help you to smell clean."

Lucario stood up. "Then please, show me how to take a shower."

Chris chuckled mentally at the request, but he then blushed. "I-I'm afraid you'll have to do it yourself because I can't technically teach you how without losing all my dignity," he explained. "I'll just…give you instructions."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know if you've ever seen someone…naked."

Lucario gasped and shook his head. "I-I understand what you mean now," he said embarrassed. "I-I'll do my best on my own."

"Sheesh, talk about embarrassing," Chris said. "I'm so embarrassed myself just thinking about it."

"C-can we just get over it?" Lucario asked.

"Y-yes!" Chris said as he left the bed. "You'll have to listen to what I say. Normally, it'll take you ten minutes to finish…but I don't know how long it's going to take you."

"I'll make sure to do it fast…"

"Let's just go to the second floor. The bathroom is there."

The Aura Pokémon nodded, and soon, the two went upstairs to the second floor. The second floor looked almost like the first floor, except for the fact about three bathrooms. A terrace was located behind two windows and white curtains that overlooked the neighborhood of the south. In front of it, there was a living room where three bathrooms and three rooms in some small hallways. On the northeast corner of the floor, a new set of stairs leaded to the attic.

"This floor looks nice," Lucario said.

"I'm glad you like it," Chris said. "You'd think this place is for hanging out. But I guess it's just that because of the terrace."

"Can I see what's outside?" Lucario asked interested.

"Well, the fences of the terrace are big enough to hide you from being seen if you don't walk to the edges. I suppose we could go there after taking a shower…" Chris trailed off. "But…I have other things to do today."

"What do you have to do?"

"It's time for me to seed the garden I have outside in the yard," Chris said. "You can come with me after taking a shower."

Lucario looked at the small hallways with the doors. "Where is the bathroom here?" he asked.

"Each hallway has a room and a bathroom," Chris said. "It doesn't matter which hallway you take." He walked to the left hallway where a mirror hung in the wall, and opened the door of a blue-tiled bathroom. He then entered inside. "You can use this one over here," he called out.

The Aura Pokémon followed the teen into the blue-tiled bathroom. It was big enough for three people to be inside, with the actual bath situated on the right corner, occupying a quarter of space of the room. A sink was situated next to the left side of the entrance with a toilet on the right side. Several towels were hanging on the right wall.

Chris turned to Lucario. "If you want to dry yourself, you'll use one of those towels," he said as he pointed at the towels hanging on the bars. "While you're here, you won't shake your body to dry. I don't want this place to be soaked with drops."

"I can't dry myself like I normally do?" Lucario asked.

"Of course not," Chris said. "Using a towel is the most sophisticated way to dry one's body." He stared at Lucario's spikes. "Just…be careful not to rip the towels with your spikes, please."

"I'll be careful…" Lucario muttered.

The teen turned towards the bath. "And there's the place where you'll be taking the shower," he said.

Around ten minutes later, Chris left the room, and steam began escaping under the doorframe. The teen remained behind to see if Lucario was going to have any troubles with the bath.

Chris's fears soon erupted in the form of Lucario yelling. "I-it's so hot!" he complained inside the bathroom.

"Turn the lever to the right, turn it, quick!" Chris yelled.

"W-where is it? I-I forgot!"

"I told you it was facing the wall!"

A lever turning to the right was heard.

"I-it's so cold now!" Lucario complained.

"T-twist the lever a little bit to the left!" Chris instructed.

And soon, a relieved sigh made Chris sigh himself. He felt silent as he waited Lucario to finish with his shower. The water's sounds ended, and a figure stepped out of the bath…then started shaking madly.

"THE TOWEL!" Chris yelled.

"S-sorry," Lucario apologized behind the door. "I forgot the steps already…"

Chris sighed. "Did you make sure you didn't leave any parts in your body full of soap?"

"I don't have any soap left…"

"Good, now dry yourself with a towel, and DON'T rip it in the process," Chris instructed. "You'll be done very soon."

Lucario felt silent before he grabbed a towel and began drying his body with it. Chris closed his eyes dismayed as he thought that Lucario didn't learn well enough how to take a shower by himself. If this were true, then Chris would have to watch out for him every time he would take a shower. "(This is probably the only lesson he didn't understand. Great, now I'll have to be more careful…)"

Chris recalled something…

"(…Is he really a dog? He shakes to dry his body…)" Chris shrugged at the thought before the door of the bathroom opened with a clean Lucario walking out to meet up with him. "Oh, you're…fluffy…"

Chris stared at Lucario's yellow fur. Apparently, the shower had made his fur all fluffy and spongy. It was so fluffy that it even outlined his shoulders and his entire throat. The spike on his chest was even half-buried inside the fur. Lucario blinked confused at Chris's expression. "…Is something the matter?" Lucario asked.

"O-oh my god…" Chris muttered before covering his mouth to hide some chuckles. "L-Lucario, y-your fur is so…so…fluffy…" He reached out to rub a hand on Lucario's fur around his throat, feeling it extremely soft and puffy.

Lucario looked at his yellow fur. "Well, my yellow fur is the longest fur I have in my body. The blue fur I have is fairly shorter than my yellow fur…" He blushed embarrassed.

"A-a-ahahahaha!" Chris laughed a bit. "Y-you look so fluffy, I swear! A-ahahahahahaha! O-oh, m-my funny bone! I-it hurts!" Chris complained jokingly as he held his stomach with both arms.

Lucario grunted angrily at this response. "Do I look so funny to you?" he demanded.

Chris gasped and quickly stopped laughing. "I-I'm sorry, Lucario!" he apologized. "I-I never seen a Lucario with fluff-I-I mean, fur like the one you have! P-please, don't hurt me!"

Lucario kept glaring at Chris before he gasped and stepped back. "I-I'm sorry…" he muttered ashamed. "I…I don't like to be laughed at…"

The teen sighed. "(What a way to ruin the mood…) W-well, I-I'll be careful not to laugh at you anymore… But, geez, it was a small joke…" He looked worried. "It's sometimes good to laugh at yourself when you see your reflection in a mirror…"

"I just tried this out now," Lucario said. "I didn't know what to expect from a shower." He looked at the mirror to see Chris's and his reflection. "…P-pfft…" he stifled a chuckle.

"H-hey, you just chuckled at your image!" Chris complained, startling Lucario.

"I-I couldn't help it after looking at myself in a mirror," Lucario said in his defense.

Chris shook his head. "I feel like we skipped a nice time to laugh together… Oh well, you're just starting to live a life you couldn't experience before." He stared at Lucario. "But you still like this new life, right?"

"Well, the odor is gone, so…"

"Not just because of that…"

"O-oh, then, yes, I'm enjoying my new life," Lucario said. "But I'm sorry for sounding so threatening to you."

"It's okay now…again," Chris said. "Are you getting hungry?"

"I think so," Lucario said.

Chris smiled a bit. "Just let me take a shower myself and you wait for me in the living room below. I'll prepare breakfast as soon as I come down. After that, I'll go out to the garden to sprinkle water on the flowers I have."

"You have flowers here?"

"I told you before that I have a garden," Chris said. "Even though it's weird for somebody like me to do gardening, I care about the outside look of this house. I don't want people to think this place is a dump in the outside… But nobody ever takes a peek at the yard because the fences are a bit too high," he said embarrassed. "My aunt taught me to conserve the flowers by myself."

Lucario thought for a moment. "I'd like to see that garden by myself," he said.

"You're…into flowers?"

"No," Lucario said. "It's just that the atmosphere around flowers is a nice place to relax while meditating…" He looked worried at Chris. "I'm not going to meditate there all the time, but I still want to do some meditation once in a while."

"…Oh, I see," Chris said nodding. "Figures, you being someone who is into meditation…" He chuckled. "I think it was a bit too obvious you'd like to do that in a field like that." He went to the bathroom and closed the door. "Okay, you wait for me in the living room to make breakfast! Don't look outside if there are any people walking by the pavement, okay?"

"Alright," Lucario said before he left the second floor.

After Chris came back to the floor to prepare bacon for breakfast, the teen showed the satisfied Lucario the yard.

Chris smiled at Lucario. "You look very happy," he said. "Did you like to eat bacon?"

"It was certainly much better than the pancakes you served me yesterday," Lucario said pleased. "It tasted so much better to me."

"(Hmm, he liked meat… I wonder if he would like to eat steak later… I don't have steaks though,)" Chris thought, seeing the pleased look on Lucario's face. "(I wonder… Will he grow more confident if I make him food he likes? If that's so…I'll be careful not to make him fat…)" The two stopped in front of the door leading to the yard that was besides the corner of the kitchen. Chris opened it and revealed a set of stairs going down. "Walk down the stairs," Chris said. "It's okay to walk outside."

The Aura Pokémon walked down the stairs as he looked around the yard. The yard itself was large, occupying the right and upper areas around the house. On the top right corner, a small storage was taking the space. Behind the house, the yard had a single yet large tree that reached the third floor easily. Around the fences, there were rows of different flowers arranged, and there were more rows around the house's walls as well. Lucario looked around the firm grass on the ground as his feet touched it.

Lucario smiled and closed his eyes, feeling the wind brushing against the grass. For a brief moment, he felt as if he was back in his world.

Chris walked down the stairs and stared at Lucario's relieved expression. He smiled at him. "(If he is happy, that gives me more points of confidence with him,)" Chris said. "Your first step into the yard and you feel relaxed already?" he asked.

The Aura Pokémon looked at him. "The air in here is so refreshing," he said. "There is so much life around here."

"Life?" Chris said confused.

"Since I can sense auras, I can sense all auras of living things," Lucario explained. "I just not only detect people's auras, but I can sense flowers, mountains, and even the earth itself. Everything is alive," he said. "But some areas happen to be full of aura, and when they are full of aura, they are also full of life. I get very relaxed when I feel their life."

"Hmm, that's an interesting way to relax…" Chris trailed off.

Lucario looked at the flowers. "Flowers specially have soothing auras. They mostly have a lot of life. I think I've never been so close to them before." He closed his eyes to relax. "It's so nice."

The teen rubbed his chin. "I wonder if I took great care of the flowers to give so much aura energy as you're saying…"

"That would be the case," Lucario said as he sat down on the grass. "I feel very relaxed with the air in here…"

Chris looked away, a little bit jealous that Lucario could sense auras. "Sadly, I don't feel as relaxed as you," he said. "I'd only feel relaxed if I smell a flower. Hmm…when compared to you, humans have limited ways to relax."

Lucario opened his eyes and looked up at Chris. "Oh no, I still have yet to know more about all the things I haven't experienced yet," he said. "So far, I think I can't do more without someone helping me out."

The teen folded his arms behind his back. "(Is he flattering me? I think so…)" he thought. "Since you enjoy being here, I guess I'll start my work with the flowers," he said. "I just need to water them, though. After that, I'll be done with my duties here."

Lucario looked interested. "How many times do you water them?" he asked.

"I water them every three days," Chris said. "My aunt told me to take great care of the flowers because she was the one who planted them in the first place. And since I like my aunt, I'm going to watch over the flowers… Besides, I told you I don't want people to think I live in a dump."

Lucario shook his head. "Your home doesn't look like a dump to me. You do a very good job in keeping everything in order by yourself," he said.

Chris looked a bit concerned at Lucario's last word. "Oh… Sometimes, I wish there was someone else to help me out," he said before looking at Lucario. "But I can do this just fine."

"…" Lucario stared at Chris's look for a moment.

"…Is something wrong?" Chris asked.

"Oh no, I was just thinking about how I was going to relax here," Lucario said. "You can leave me and go to water the flowers."

"Okay…" Chris said before he walked away to retrieve some gloves from the ground. He then went over to a watering can that he filled with water.

The Aura Pokémon blinked as he saw the teen sprinkling water over the flowers on the yard. Lucario looked up at the bright sun before looking down at the sprinkled flowers that shone with the drops hanging on the petals. He smiled and closed his eyes to sense the radiating aura growing with life.

Chris took a moment to see Lucario sitting in a meditating position. He smiled a bit as he saw the Aura Pokémon sighing in total relaxation. "(And I'd feel much better if he was my Pokémon…)" He looked back at the flowers and sighed. "(I know he isn't legally my Pokémon. He still is under his trainer's ownership. If I went ahead and asked him to be my Pokémon…he'd feel insulted, and he'd probably get very angry…I just know it,)" Chris thought scared. "(As long as he remains here….he is just a guest in my house until I find a way to take back to his world. Of course, I don't know a way… Poor guy…)"

The teen silently sprinkled the flowers with water.

"(…There's no way I can find a way back to his world,)" Chris thought. "(And even if I did…would he be willing to throw away the only opportunity he has to experience a true life? Is he okay to fight and stay inside a Poké Ball all day until he's called out to fight? That's a horrible way to live if he asked me…)"

Chris shook his head and sighed.

"(And here I am, thinking about some video game's mechanics literally ruling over his life… This isn't just fair for him…)" he thought with concern. "(It's either set him free from his eternal imprisonment in my game or I'll get beaten up by him…)"

The Aura Pokémon opened his eyes to see how Chris was doing with the gardening. Lucario saw how Chris's pace slowed down a bit. "(Is he getting tired?)" Lucario asked. "(Perhaps I should help him out…)" He looked to his right where another watering can lied nearby. He blinked at it and looked back at Chris.

"(I should stop thinking about all that already,)" Chris thought as he sprinkled the flowers with water. "(I'm getting lost in my own thoughts…)"

The sound of a watering can coming from nearby made Chris turn his gaze to the south fence, where Lucario was standing in front of a row of flowers, sprinkling water over them. The Aura Pokémon sensed the teen looking at his way, making him look over his right shoulder at Chris.

"(I'd never thought I'd see a Lucario watering flowers with a watering can before…)" Chris shook his head and looked worried at Lucario. "U-um, it's okay!" Chris said. "I can take care of everything myself!"

"Nonsense," Lucario said. "I want to help you with this."

"A-are you sure of that?" Chris asked.

"I'm sure of that," Lucario said. "To be honest, I feel bad that you're doing the work while I'm just sitting in the middle of the yard doing nothing." He looked at the flowers he was watering. "And…I like to do this a bit."

Chris fell silent. "…You like to water flowers?" he asked.

"I think it's my duty to watch over these flowers," Lucario said. "With the water you're giving them, you're giving them more life. And with more life, their aura grows stronger. Thus, this place becomes much better to relax." He looked at Chris. "Please, let me do this."

"…Okay," Chris said. "If you really want to go ahead…"

"Trust me, I like to do this," Lucario said. "As the Aura Pokémon, I believe I should preserve life for the nature of this place. Besides, isn't this the only place I can stay besides going out from here?"

The teen looked down for a bit to think about the question. He smiled a bit and nodded to Lucario. "You're right, I guess," he said.

"Thank you," Lucario said before he smiled and turned to the flowers.

Chris's gaze drifted away from Lucario as he watered his flowers. Chris's eyes were still trying to see the Pokémon even though they couldn't fix themselves on him. The teen didn't want to look at Lucario for a while. "(I wonder if I'm discovering his true colors…)" Chris trailed off in thought. "(He seems very nice, actually. Treating flowers as if they were his is a nice thought. Well, his decision was based on his aura abilities… That reminds me… I should ask him some time later about what attacks he knows provided he doesn't destroy anything within my house…)"

Lucario gazed back at Chris. "(I think today was a nice day,)" he thought. "(For some odd reason, I'm starting to feel like I was supposed to live here…)" He shook the thought away as soon he said that. "(W-what am I thinking? I belong to my world. I enjoy my stay here. But…something is telling me that I should see what else I can learn here…)" he stared at Chris, "(and he might be the only one cordial enough to show me all there is to know and do in this world.)"

Half an hour later, Chris and Lucario stood next to the stairs as they looked around the watered flowers. Thanks to the sun, the drops made some small glitters that made Lucario feel their aura cover the yard.

"Well, thank you for your help," Chris said with a smile. "Thanks to you, I finished sooner than expected. And…it seems you look relieved."

Lucario snapped out of his state and looked at Chris. "To the contrary, I should thank you," he said, surprising Chris. "I learned about more stuff today like yesterday."

Chris blushed a bit and looked away for a moment. "Oh…I-I'm glad you're thankful," he said. "Do you feel in home a bit?"

Lucario thought for a moment. "That's hard to say… Even though I'm enjoying my stay here so far…it's going to be a long time before I start calling this my home…" He gasped and shook his head. "I-I mean to say this place is nice as a replacement until I go back to my world someday soon. If I think this is my home, I'd be betraying my trainer's wishes to go back."

The teen looked concerned. "(How much I want to tell him that his life here is so much better than his life in a video game,)" Chris thought worried. "(I need to change the topic here…)"

Chris stared at Lucario for a while.

"…Oh, that's right," Chris said. "All that stuff about auras piqued my interest."

Lucario looked at Chris. "It did?" he asked.

"Yes," Chris said. "Before, I never thought that it was so amazing to sense auras like you do. After hearing you talking about how much aura the flowers radiate and everything else that it made you relax, I'd like to hear more from you later."

Lucario thought for a moment. "(That's an interesting idea… Teaching a human how auras work…) I honestly didn't think about showing someone how auras manifest…" He stared at Chris and smiled a bit. "I suppose I could teach you what to know about auras."

"Really? Thank you!" Chris said relieved. "This is like something you're showing me in return for showing you everything in this world."

"If you think that way, then I'm glad," Lucario said.

"(Nice move,)" Chris thought to himself. "(If I can somehow establish a strong bond with him, he might stop feeling so bad about being here rather than his world. I need to be careful not to make him think I want to own him, though…) But show me about auras later," Chris said. "It's time for us to go back into the house."

"Why?" Lucario asked. "There isn't anyone around the vicinity, and I don't pick any human auras nearby."

The teen looked away. "Oh, I thought you wanted to watch that show we saw yesterday," he said. "You seemed REALLY interested in seeing those battle scenes."

Lucario looked hesitant. "I-it's going to be shown today as well?" he asked.

Chris looked at him and nodded. "Of course, that show always airs five times a week. I've watched all the episodes, and new episodes are about to come soon," he said.

"In that case…I'd like to go watch them again," Lucario said.

Chris chuckled. "A Lucario interested in anime? You really are starting to give me a different look on all Lucarios in general," he said amused.

Lucario blushed. "I…just like to see intense action…" he muttered.

"That's probably because you want to be part of the intense action as well," Chris guessed.

"I admit it… It's like a Pokémon Battle, but without actual Pokémon," Lucario said. "…Can we go now?"

The teen chuckled again and nodded. "Alright, let's go back inside," Chris said. "I've got to think about what to eat for our meal."

The two decided to go back inside the house, leaving the flowers glimmer with the drops that fell to the ground.

The day went on until night came, and Chris was already sleeping in his bed. The Aura Pokémon rested by leaning against the bed, sitting in a meditating position. Lucario opened his eyes and looked outside to the moon as he reflected his thoughts about his new experiences.

"(Chris told me that I should take a shower daily,)" Lucario thought concerned. "(I'd feel a bit stupid doing it every day in the morning, but I don't want to stink… I don't want to stink, so I don't have any choice left… Somehow, it feels nicer to be clean, though. The air smells fresher…)" he thought before blushing. "(…I hope I didn't get used to my own smell all this time… He doesn't know that…)"

Chris mumbled a few words behind his back before falling silent.

Lucario stopped blushing and closed his eyes to relax. "(And thanks to the gardening we did today, the aura surrounding this house feels much more lively than before,)" he thought. "(With an aura like this, I feel so much better… Will it help me to calm down? I went too far in glaring at him for having…that kind of fur I don't want to mention.)" He looked at his fur, which now had returned to its usual sharp look.

The Aura Pokémon looked over his shoulder at the teen's calm look.

Lucario turned back to face his reflection on the TV. He smiled a bit and closed his eyes to sleep. "(I'm sure of only one thing about this world, though…)"

The flowers in the garden, although having lost their drops, radiated with more aura.

"(This world still has a lot for me to see and experience.)"

* * *

_Originally, Chris and Lucario bonded too much quickly (in a ridiculous record time). But now, an idea has sparked me. This story's new theme should be how the two slowly bond together as time goes by. In the end, this is some kind of battle for Chris to bond together with Lucario so the latter ultimately decides his decision whether to stay or think of a way to go back to his world._

_From this point, the story will start having brand new chapters to prolong further their slow bond. At last, I've seen the theme I originally ignored: the bond._

_I encourage everyone to review and to enjoy this story. :)_


	4. A Carnivorous Aura Pokémon

_To all of those who read the previous version, this chapter is a brand new one. It's probably going to be one of those "cute" moments._

_I encourage all readers to read on, enjoy, and review. :)_

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Carnivorous Aura Pokémon**

The chirping sounds coming from outside awoke Lucario, who sat next to Chris's bed. The Aura Pokémon yawned as he fixed his gaze outside to the blue sky. He looked back to Chris, who was still sleeping deeply. Lucario blinked a bit before turning back outside where a few birds flew by to the horizon.

"(…Those birds weren't Pokémon, that's for sure…)" Lucario said, recalling how the birds looked so different from a Starly or any other bird-like Pokémon. "(They didn't look so much like any other bird I've seen before…or maybe they're… No, he told me there weren't any Pokémon in this world. I shouldn't get my hopes up with this world's inhabitants.)" He looked down sadly to the floor. "(…I must really stop looking so depressed before he notices. I don't want to make him worry about me.)"

Chris grumbled a few words as he slowly woke up, seeing Lucario looking down on the floor. The Aura Pokémon pulled back his head and looked at him. "Good morning, Lucario," Chris said.

"Good morning," Lucario said.

"Well…" Chris said as he yawned a bit, "this is your fourth day ever since you came to this place… Are you finding your stance here enjoyable so far?"

"Oh, yes," Lucario said. "You don't need to worry about so much."

"That…I can't do," Chris said skeptically. "I still need to look after you so you don't mess up. You've been here for four days now, but it's just too soon to leave you roam my house on your own."

Lucario looked away. "I suppose you're right…" he muttered.

Chris sat up from his bed and embraced his knees. "With that settled, you need to take another shower," he said.

The Aura Pokémon blinked at this and turned to the teen. "A-another shower?" he asked.

"Well, yes, you have to take a shower daily," Chris said mildly upset. "You don't expect to be clean for three days after taking a bath, do you?"

"I…thought it was that way."

"Sorry, but no," Chris said. "You'll still start stinking after you wake up. You need to keep yourself clean every single day to be…well, clean," he said. "Besides, it's much better if you get out of the bathroom. You'll feel really nice after a bath."

Lucario smiled a bit. "I do remember feeling so nice after taking a shower," he said. "It felt so nice."

"Alright," Chris said, sitting on the side of his bed. "You go take a shower in the second floor while I go ahead and make breakfast for us. I'll take a shower after I eat."

Lucario sighed and walked out from the room towards the second floor. While he did this, the teen made sure that he went upstairs. "(I did notice that look he had when I was waking up…)" Chris thought worried. "(Is he still lamenting the fact he's stuck in this world? If that's so…that will make him feel so melancholic all over again…)"

The teen looked outside to think what to do.

After half an hour, Chris and Lucario were sitting together in the living room, having scrambled eggs for breakfast. The Aura Pokémon found the new dish to be tasty. The teen watched as Lucario ate his scrambled eggs, looking relaxed when he closed his eyes to chew his food in his mouth.

"(That look he's doing is so nice to see,)" Chris thought to himself. "(He never had the opportunity to eat scrambled eggs before. I can tell that very well.)"

"Hmmmm," Lucario mumbled pleased as he ate his scrambled eggs.

The teen stared intently at the Aura Pokémon for a long a while. Something about Lucario's happy look for eating breakfast made Chris realize that there was a way to please him more.

"(…I wonder… Will I make good progress with him if I made more food for him to eat?)" Chris wondered. "(They do say that using food is a nice way to show hospitality to others. Will this work with him?)"

Lucario chewed his food before he noticed Chris was staring blankly at him. The Aura Pokémon felt a bit awkward after the teen didn't react at all. "Uh…um…is something I'm doing wrong now?" Lucario asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the living room.

"…Oh, what? Oh no, no," Chris said embarrassed. "I was just daydreaming about some stuff after I saw how happy you looked when you were eating your breakfast."

"(He isn't thinking about some odd stuff about me, is he?)" Lucario thought worried. "Well…yes, I like these…scrambled eggs," he said, forcing a smile. "I never ate something like this before. I'm grateful you gave me this for the morning."

Chris forced a smile next. "I'm glad you like them," he said. "Since you haven't eaten these kinds of dishes before, maybe I should give you more food this afternoon."

"There's more?"

"Of course there's more," Chris said. "There are so many dishes that I haven't eaten before, but I still got to eat many kinds of them. Are you familiar with…meat?"

"Not that much…" Lucario said. "I never got to taste meat in my life."

"Would you like to eat some steaks later this afternoon?" Chris asked. "I think you'll like eating them better than anything else."

"…Go ahead," Lucario said. "As long as it's edible…"

"Don't worry about that," Chris said as he pushed his plate aside and stood up away from his chair. "It'll be very edible, that's for sure. I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower for now, though."

"I'll see you later," Lucario said.

"Wait for me in the couch," Chris said. "You can watch TV if you want."

Lucario nodded as the teen made his way upstairs to the bathroom. The Aura Pokémon put his plate aside and pushed his chair to stand up and stretch his arms. After doing so, Lucario walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch. He rested his arms on his knees as his mind wandered off in thoughts about what would be shown to him today.

"…I trust that he won't humiliate me in some way," Lucario muttered to himself. "So far, nothing has gone wrong…"

Deciding to distract himself, Lucario picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. His crimson eyes stared intently at the epic battles that were shown on the screen.

_Hours later…_

An unimaginable scent wafted along the air in the living room. The same scent went all the way to Lucario's nose, who mumbled some pleased grunts. Just by smelling the succulent smell of meat being cooked over a frying pan from the kitchen made his stomach beg for food. It was just as if he had been ignoring the best kind of food he couldn't get to lay a fang on it. As time passed, his stomach kept growling and growling without him getting embarrassed about it. The scent was so strong that it even made his mouth get full of water.

The smell of meat was just too much for him to handle. Lucario didn't know that he could find a liking to meat food.

Lucario looked back all the way to the kitchen where he saw Chris cooking up some steaks over a frying pan. While he couldn't make out the steaks' texture from his spot, their scent was good enough to make him think that they were destined to be digested inside his stomach. The only thing he wished to do now is eat whatever Chris was making for the two.

"It's going to be ready in two minutes!" Chris called over without turning to Lucario. "You should sit down in your seat now!"

Lucario took Chris's words as some sort of order that he needed to follow for his benefit. Briefly, the Aura Pokémon snapped out and found himself stopping midway to the chair. "(Is he trying to control me with food?)" Lucario thought embarrassed. "(How long am I going to fall for this world's wonders?)"

And the scent of meat softly soothing his nose told him otherwise.

"(…Oh no, I shouldn't be thinking like that at all,)" Lucario said, shaking his head to fight the scent to no avail. "(The scent is…is just too…too good for me to ignore… Concentrate… I just need to get over the smell and eat whatever he wants me to eat…)"

Lucario couldn't tell that he was submitted to his own temptation. He unknowingly sat down on his chair, the scent making his stomach growl. Again, thanks to the smell, he mumbled some words. His nose suddenly started to smell the scent, telling it was getting strong and stronger. As if he was forced to turn his head towards the kitchen by some unknown force, Lucario saw Chris carrying some fresh steaks over a big plate.

Lucario's eyes instantly fixed on the brown meat. He could see the true scent wafting off from the top. His mount started watering inside without his consent. As Chris brought the plate over the table, Lucario's crimson eyes fixed on it like they were having some kind of vendetta on the meat.

Chris sat down on his seat and saw the blank expression Lucario had on the meat set in front of them. The teen looked down, seeing the Aura Pokémon's chest breathing in and out at a rather fast pace. "…Are you…feeling okay?" Chris asked.

The Aura Pokémon was called back to his senses, turning to Chris. "I-I'm fine," he said. "Was I distracted just now?"

"I'd…say so," Chris responded. "You were staring into the meat for quite a long time…"

Lucario quickly turned his head to the meat over the big plate, as if Chris's words sounded like a warning that the meat disappeared or something. "…I'll be honest," he said without giving Chris a look. "The smell of the meat is…is really refreshing and appetizing to me," he admitted embarrassed.

"(In other words, he likes it!)" Chris cheered triumphantly in his mind. Without hesitation, he chuckled and said, "Well, go ahead and eat as much as you like. It's better when it's warm."

Lucario didn't do a thing as Chris offered himself to hand over two steaks to his plate. The Aura Pokémon's eyes were totally focused on the steaks, thinking the steaks had some kind of power that forced him to focus on them. With the scent now filling the air right under his nose, Lucario couldn't avoid inhaling the scent, letting a very pleased mumble by accident. He opened his eyes in shock, looking at Chris. "I-I'm sorry if I sounded weird…" he muttered.

Chris chuckled a bit. "Oh, don't worry about it," he said. "I expected you to do that after you said you liked the smell."

The teen could have sworn the Aura Pokémon blushed slightly. "Can we just eat now?" he asked mildly upset. "I'm feeling so awkward right now…"

"Right, just be careful because they have bones in them," Chris said as he calmly began to cut his steak to pieces with a knife, using a fork to bring a piece to his mouth.

Lucario saw the relieved expression Chris made whenever he ate a piece of meat. Looking back down to his plate, Lucario calmly grabbed his knife and fork. Having learned how to hold his utensils from Chris, Lucario slowly and carefully started to cut his steak. He chipped off a piece that he impaled with his fork. He felt his mouth watering even more as he slowly brought the piece of meat to his mouth.

And after taking a small bite of it, Lucario's eyes shot wide open.

After the meat touched his tongue, Lucario felt that he was taken to the heaven. His eyes slowly closed as he savored the meat inside his mouth. He chewed on it, spreading the unbelievable and tasty treat across his sharp fangs. Surely, he thought, the meat's taste easily overwhelmed any kind of Oran Berry he used to eat. The taste would even easily defeat a Sitrus Berry's flavor. Lucario never thought there was going to be something so powerful in taste like a small piece of meat. Chris stopped eating once he heard the satisfied Pokémon mumbling happily to himself. He noticed how Lucario rose up his chin while looking relieved. The teen blinked a few times at this, smiling a bit as he went back to eat.

As time went by, Chris couldn't help but notice the Aura Pokémon began eating at a faster pace until he settled down with a calm and collected look to enjoy fully every single piece of meat he brought to his mouth. It was not long before his pleased mumbles grew louder and louder, causing Chris to think that there was some kind of big lion standing right next to him who was about to leap on his back and bite his head off.

"(Oh my god… Is it just me, or is he sounding a little bit too wild with all those mumbling sounds he's making?)" Chris thought with some fear, seeing how Lucario continued to eat his steaks happily. "(I-I know I found out he likes to eat meat, but this is a little bit too much from what I expected from him…)"

Chris nearly hopped from his seat once he noticed there was something wrong with Lucario. The teen looked back to the Pokémon's plate, completely clean from any meat. However, this was not the case for Chris to look dismayed. It was the fact that Lucario was _eating _a whole bone that was inside the steak. Chris didn't think Lucario would go so far as to eat the bone, but it was a scary sight to see because of the fact Chris could spot Lucario's sharp fangs easily breaking the bone apart as if it was some kind of candy. Moreover, a single bite from the Aura Pokémon's sharp fangs was enough to break parts of the bone he held with one hand.

"(No way…)" Chris said in disbelief. "(I know dogs like to bite on bones to eat them, but…he's literally breaking the whole bone with small bites! What's more, he _is _eating a bone, for god's sake! I thought he was going to leave it alone and go for another steak!)"

Deciding that it was awkward to see the tall Pokémon obliterating the unlucky bone with his sharp fangs, Chris tapped on Lucario's shoulder.

And all that he received as a reply was an angry growl from Lucario, who glared at Chris without thinking.

Chris yelped at this and nearly fell back from his seat. His reaction made Lucario come back to his senses, gasping aloud after recalling what he did. "I-I'm sorry!" Lucario apologized as Chris pulled himself back to his seat to avoid falling off. "I-I didn't know what I was doing!"

Chris looked a little bit scared at Lucario, who in turn felt stupid. "I-I think I shouldn't have interrupted you," Chris said. "I-I'm the one who should be sorry for it."

"N-no, no, it's my fault," Lucario apologized. "I don't know what was happening to me after I started biting that bone… I…I just went along with the flow and started tearing it apart with my teeth…"

"F-fangs, you mean…" Chris corrected.

"Y-yes," Lucario said, still sounding ashamed. "Please, don't be scared. It was a mistake done by my part…for growling at you without thinking…"

Chris gulped and leaned back to his seat. "I thought you really were going to punch me for real this time…" he muttered. "Seriously, I don't want to think about you hurting me because, well…you're technically far stronger than any normal person out there."

"(Oh no, what did I just do?)" Lucario thought dismayed. "(One mistake I do always leads him to think I'm going to hurt him… Am I that violent?)" He shook his head and looked ashamed at Chris. "Please, forgive me for being so rude… I'm going to be more careful next time. I promise."

"(How can I trust him that he won't do the same mistake?)" Chris thought worried. "(It's me who's making him get angry…)" he thought before he shook his head and sighed in relief. "I forgive you, so don't worry," Chris apologized. "After all, you still need to get used to this world, am I right?"

"I suppose so…" Lucario trailed off, before the scent of the steaks in front of them soothed his nose. Soon, he sighed in pleasure as he savored the smell.

Chris blinked at this before he chuckled heartily, something Lucario made react angry.

However, deep down, Lucario had a feeling that told him to laugh together with the teen. Unfortunately, his mood got the better of him, and he just grunted silently to himself so Chris wouldn't hear him. He did, however, stifled the grunt after Chris opened his eyes and resumed eating his plate. The teen, once again, gave Lucario another steak, which somehow forced him to eat and mumble happily, forgetting what had happened between the two.

After a while, all plates were empty while Lucario leaned back to his seat, shattering a small piece of bone with his sharp fangs that went down his throat and hit his full stomach. He let out a pleased sigh, putting his hands over his lap. Chris had just finished his plate, seeing Lucario resting against his chair. "Were you satisfied?" Chris asked.

Lucario turned to him and nodded. "Yes," he said with a happy look. "This was by far the best meal I've ever eaten thanks to you."

Chris mimicked the same happy look as a sign of affection. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Your look says that pretty well," he said.

Lucario gasped mentally as he changed his happy look for a blank look. He looked away embarrassed. "Y-yes, you like you said…" he muttered.

The teen tilted his head confused. "Is something else bothering you now?"

"No, it's nothing," Lucario said without turning to Chris.

"…Alright," Chris said, picking the plates and utensils to bring them to the kitchen.

As the teen left the table, Lucario was puzzling himself with the fact that he gave the teen a happy look. That, and the fact that he wanted to laugh with him, made Lucario think that he was slowly forgetting his trainer whom he was very fond. "(I need to stop doing this…)" Lucario thought. "(If I keep showing happiness to him, will I eventually forget my trainer? Is he trying to make me submit to his world? There's only one way for me to know without having to ask him directly…)"

The only way to clear his thoughts was reading Chris's own mind. The Aura Pokémon glowed ominously as he turned to look at Chris, who was cleaning the plates at the time.

"(I knew he was going to like eating steaks,)" Chris thought in a cheerful mood. "(Somehow, I think I'm doing a pretty good job to make him feel more at home so that he doesn't feel so bad about being here. But…I wonder how long this will go like this…)" he wondered worried. "(It's just too soon for him to get used to this world, I admit… Am I doing a good job, really? I shouldn't be thinking that he would become my Pokémon or something stupid like that. I mean, he is already owned by someone else than me…)"

Lucario noticed that Chris stopped cleaning for a moment before he resumed.

"(…No, don't you dare think you can just make him be your Pokémon,)" Chris thought seriously. "(You can't just grab him for yourself while he's so confused of what is going on in his life. It's…too tempting to do that, but that's not right at all. I'll just have to live with the truth until I find some way to make him go back to his world…assuming I can find one with what I have… For now, I'll hang in there with him. My job now is to make him feel at home, and that's all I'll ever do for him. Yes, just like that…)"

Lucario looked worried as his body made the aura disappear. He blinked a few times and looked down to the floor. "(Even he is struggling to think about what to do with me… I can't find any selfish intentions. His aura is blue, so he's not a bad person with malicious thoughts…)" He looked up to the ceiling. "(But even so, I can't put my full trust to my aura. Only time will tell me what to do while I'm here…)"

Soon, Chris came back from the kitchen, making Lucario look at him. The Aura Pokémon stood up and looked down a bit at the teen. "Well, I don't know what to do," Chris said. "I don't have any chores to do."

"Really?" Lucario asked.

"I'm pretty much free today, so yes," Chris said. "Maybe I should use this time to teach you something else?"

"Oh, yes, please do," Lucario said with an apologetic look. "Think of this as some way to excuse me from growling at you."

"Well…if that's what you wish," Chris said, rubbing his chin. "I still don't know what to do…"

It was then that Chris fixed his look to Lucario's mouth. A single piece of meat was still hanging on to his lips. Noticing this, Lucario touched his lips until he sucked up the little strand of meat inside, briefly chewing it with his fangs. Chris spotted Lucario's fangs. "Oh yes, now that I think about it, you need to have dental hygiene."

"Dental…hygiene?" Lucario wondered.

"Um, yes, think like having a bath, but instead, you clean your mouth and teeth…I mean, fangs," Chris said. "Are you up to cleaning your fangs?"

"…I guess," Lucario said confused.

"First, let me see if you really need to clean your fangs," Chris said. "Okay, open up your mouth."

Lucario shrugged. "I feel uncomfortable now," he said.

"I'm not going to insert my hands in your mouth, if that's what you're thinking," Chris said disgusted. "I just need you to show me your fangs for a little bit…and if you would, smell your breath to see if it's not stinky."

Lucario looked upset at the part mentioning his breath, but he opened his mouth wide open.

Chris looked particularly intimidated. From a distance, he would always find four sharp fangs every time Lucario spoke. But from a short view, Chris found out that there were rows of small, sharp-looking fangs extending in and out from the four larger fangs. "(Gosh, no wonder why those bones he ate were easily turned into crumbles. Those sharps fangs he has look exactly the same from each other…and they look extremely sharp…)" he thought, spotting some little remnants of meat stuck between some of the fangs.

"Are you done?" Lucario asked.

"N-not yet," Chris said. "Now, I need you to exhale slowly."

Lucario did so.

And Chris felt that he was being tortured. Lucario's breath was, in a few words, plain down horrible. His breath smelled as if a dead rat's corpse was being kept inside his throat, and there were probably even more ways to define the horrendous bad breath that Lucario was letting dwell inside his mouth for a place to call home.

"Sweet mother of…" Chris muttered, stepping back to survive with the fresh air he was able to inhale, away from the Pokémon's bad breath.

Lucario closed his mouth, looking clueless to why Chris was gagging a bit. "U-uh…" he trailed off. "…Is something wrong?"

"O-oh," Chris gagged, "I wouldn't say something is wrong when that something smells nasty," he said. "I-in fact, it is…horrendous. Your breath stinks like a dead corpse of something close to it was being kept inside your mouth…"

Lucario, again, looked upset. "That is very ridiculous to compare my breath to a dead corpse," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry, but I'll take that as an insult this time."

Chris looked worried. "Well, if you're so sure, then go ahead and see what I mean. Smell your breath."

Lucario did so.

"…" The Aura Pokémon felt that his consciousness was slowly leaving him. His own breath was just too much for his nose to handle.

Chris looked bored, making Lucario snap out from his state to look apologetic at the teen. "…So?"

"…I want to get rid of this unbelievable breath…please…" Lucario muttered embarrassed.

"You and Mr. Toothpaste will get along _just_ fine," Chris said with emphasis.

"…You're introducing me to someone else already?" Lucario asked. "I thought I wasn't supposed t-"

"I was using figurative speech there, you know."

"…I feel stupid."

Chris sighed. "Let's go back to the bathroom again…" he instructed. "That's where I'll teach you how to clean your fangs… Hmm, I wonder if there are any 'Fangpaste' for your fangs?" he joked a bit while Lucario simply sighed.

After taking Lucario to the bathroom where he was told about how to use toothpaste together with a blue tooth brusher, the Aura Pokémon was left to do anything inside the bathroom as he stared at his reflection on the mirror over the washbowl. He opened his mouth to spot the little strands of meat stuck between his fangs.

"(What was I thinking, going around with meat stuck there?)" Lucario thought dismayed. "(At least I know you're not supposed to have something stuck between your teeth when you're talking…)"

Looking at his tooth brush, the Aura Pokémon started cleaning his fangs.

_Later that night…_

"For the last time, Lucario, you have to clean your fangs three times a day," Chris said as he lied down on his bed, as Lucario tried to get the concept of cleaning after yourself. "Each one of them is done after each meal you have."

"Oh…so that's why you always went to the bathroom every time you ate," Lucario said, sitting down on the floor next to the bed.

"What were you thinking before you learned this, then?"

"I was thinking you were taking a shower three times a day instead…"

"…If I did, my skin would turn really white."

"…That was figurative speech this time, right?"

"Oh, good, you're starting to grasp the concept," Chris said relieved.

Lucario sighed and looked away. "…Chris, tell me something," he muttered ashamed. "Am I…pathetic to you?"

"N-no, no, no! You're not pathetic!" Chris tried to correct. "W-why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Because I think I'm very clueless about everything a normal person knows commonly," Lucario said worried. "It's been a short while, but…I'm starting to think I wasn't meant to know about this world's culture that much and I were meant to be just a wild Pokémon."

Chris shook his head disapprovingly. "That's not true," he said. "Lucario, I truly believe that you have…potential to do more."

"…Do I…" he muttered in a downcast mood.

"You and many other Pokémon have the same potential," Chris said, sitting on his bed. "It's just that there was never some kind of Pokémon who does this kind of thing, but…let me ask you this."

Lucario turned to him. "Go ahead and ask me…"

"Were you able to do all the stuff I showed you all these past three days?"

"…Yes, but I screwed up a bit in each one of them," Lucario said.

"It doesn't really matter," Chris said seriously. "It's not like you're going to succeed right after doing it the first time. Like I said before, you just need to get used to this. Are you telling me that you haven't enjoyed all this so far?"

"I sure did…" Lucario trailed off.

Chris chuckled heartily. "Then there's no reason for you to be so depressed," he said, rubbing Lucario's head between his ears. "So please, don't worry because there's so much to show you later on."

Lucario blinked shocked as he saw Chris rubbing his head. The teen noticed what he was doing and gasped, drawing back his hand to his side. "…"

"I-I'm sorry for that, really, I'm sorry!" Chris apologized. "I-I got carried away, I swear!"

"…It's okay," Lucario said with a sigh. "Please, don't get so worked up over that."

The teen couldn't believe what the Aura Pokémon told him. Chris's action was sure about to spark a little growl from Lucario, but Chris never thought Lucario would just shrug it off. "(Maybe he's slowly opening up? Nah, it can't be. It's too fast for him to do that…)" Chris thought before he yawned, lying down on his bed. "Well…thank you, Lucario."

"You're welcome, Chris," Lucario said apologetically. "…Do I still need to clean my fangs three times a day?"

"…Yes, do that so your fangs don't look yellow," Chris muttered. "Good night…" he muttered softly, drifting off to sleep.

The Aura Pokémon made sure that the teen was sleeping deeply. Once he did, Lucario leaned his back to the bed and looked outside to the night sky. Looking at the moon and the stars, he smiled a bit to himself. "(It felt nice when he rubbed my head…)" he thought before he gasped mentally. "(W-why did I think that just now? My temptations are taking over my own decisions…but…I wouldn't say they are temptations because I enjoy what he's doing for me…)"

Lucario kept pondering about all the things he was going to learn in the incoming days. Drifting off to sleep, the Aura Pokémon smiled, regardless about the times where he reacted violently against Chris.

Somehow, he thought, he was going to behave much better from now on. The only thing Lucario needed was to have optimism. And Chris would certainly enjoy an optimistic look coming from him.

The night went on as Lucario smiled a bit during his sleep…

* * *

_I hope everyone enjoyed this brand new chapter. I have nothing else to say other that the fact I enjoyed writing this one._

_I encourage all readers to review. :)_


	5. A Gamer is Born

_Like the previous chapter, this chapter is a brand new one._

_I encourage all readers to read on, enjoy, and review. :)_

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Gamer is Born**

Another morning light shone down from the window of the room, hitting the Aura Pokémon's face. Lucario opened his eyes after feeling the warm light. He blinked a few times until looking around the room. His fifth day in the real world had something new in store for him, he could tell that much.

But as long as Chris was sleeping behind his back, nothing new would show up his way. Lucario looked over his shoulder where Chris was still sleeping peacefully. One look at the young teen's face convinced Lucario that Chris meant no harm with the pure look he showed during his sleep. "(I wonder if I've being very rude to him…)" Lucario thought. "(There are no dark thoughts in his mind at all, yet I keep thinking he has something in hands for me. Am I just being paranoid for no reason? Maybe that's what wrong with me…)"

Lucario kept staring at Chris for a long while until he blinked and looked away, not wanting to disturb Chris from his sleep. The Aura Pokémon didn't want to leave the room behind because he feared that he would unconditionally cause some kind of issue in the house. He was restricted to go out as well, no matter how much he wanted to go back to the garden outside and feel the earth's life. All he could do for now was to wait for Chris to wake up and start the day.

But all changed when he decided to have a small look around the room. His eyes wandered around the room's furniture. Lucario never paid too much attention to all the memorabilia that Chris had around. He was interested to know more about the posters that were hanging on the walls, almost completely covering the white paint underneath them.

The posters showed a wide array of people Lucario never met before. He saw big-nosed plumbers and pink princesses, characters that had animal-like characteristics with human shapes, pink puffballs and masked puffballs, swordsmen and mystical creatures, and sometimes a big mixture of all of them. What were more interesting were the posters that showed Pokémon that Lucario barely knew about, mainly because many of those Pokémon weren't native to the Sinnoh region.

"(Dialga and Palkia?)" Lucario thought shocked after seeing the images of both deities right next to each other. "(Those are the deities of Sinnoh…my homeland,)" he thought.

Lucario started to have questions to ask Chris. The Aura Pokémon was still shocked that everything he knew was part of a video game. It was so hard to believe that many people in the real world knew so much about different people inside the games that it was almost frightening. Lucario even thought that Chris monitored his every move from across a small screen, but it didn't feel that way.

"(All the Pokémon I know are…puppets to these humans?)" Lucario thought, looking back at Chris. "(But he doesn't treat me like a puppet…)"

Lucario blinked shocked and looked forward, realizing that he was letting his doubts get the better of him again. He hung down his head and shut his eyes.

"(There I go again, having some upsetting thoughts about Chris…)" Lucario thought ashamed, looking away. "(They will keep coming back to me the more I wonder about the unbelievable findings of this world...)"

Lucario looked up from his spot, staring beside the television in front of him. His crimson eyes fixed on top of the drawer where a weird, white machine idly sat. Right below the weird-looking machine, there was another black machine that was a little larger than the one on top of it. Next to the machines, there were sets of controllers displayed neatly. Lucario's eyes wandered more to the left where he found big piles of boxes.

He was curious to see what those boxes had inside of them, and he even wanted to know why Chris had so many. Lucario looked back at Chris still sleeping on his bed. Calmly, Lucario stood up from his spot and moved his tail away from touching the teen. He looked back to the piles and walked to them. When he reached them, he lifted one small box carefully to see what it had on the cover.

The box he had picked was kind of thick. The cover showed two young men looking away from each other while a young woman looked forward. Behind them, there stood some kind of woman with a dress that left no imagination left for fashion designers.

Lucario blinked and tilted his head confused. He then wondered if there was something on the back. He flipped the box around where one of the men he saw was standing next to a description box and some images. The Aura Pokémon, however, wasn't smart enough to be able to read like humans did. "(What is this, some kind of…novel that humans like to read?)" he asked, tilting his head as he tried to read the description.

The Aura Pokémon set the box back to the pile carefully. He, however, kept staring at the box. He recalled what he saw, and he couldn't help feeling interested on what he had tried to read. Lucario was curious to know about the box's little story. He would have liked to see more action himself, but the curiosity was keeping him interested.

"(…I want to see more of this,)" Lucario resolved in his mind. "(What are those mysterious dreams?)"

It was then that Lucario slowly realized that his interest to know more about the box's contents had some kind of explanation to why the real world's humans were interested in many things. That small description caught Lucario's attention so much that he wanted to see more. He took the box once more and found out he could open it from the side. Slowly opening it, he found a set of four different discs in them, each one depicting parts in a sequence while barely showing a character facing Lucario on the discs' covers.

Unbeknownst to Lucario, Chris was awakening. The teen made no sounds but merely opened his eyes. He looked around before finding Lucario standing next to his piles of video games. "…Lucario?" Chris wondered.

Lucario got startled and closed the box quickly, putting it back to its position. He turned around and carefully moved his tail away so that it wouldn't recklessly hit the pile to look at Chris. "U-uh, good morning," Lucario greeted nervously.

"Don't think I didn't see you," Chris said blankly, yawning a bit. "You were checking out my video games, weren't you?"

"V-video games?" Lucario repeated, looking away as his cheeks blushed a bit. "I…I…" he stammered, feeling guilty.

The teen stared at the Aura Pokémon for a while until Chris sat up from his bed. He rubbed his chin with a finger. "…Hmm, I wonder if you…"

Lucario gulped.

"…I wonder if you finally decided to look at those boxes I have there," Chris said, confusing Lucario. "I swear that those piles would really stand out from all the stuff I have inside my room… Well, the posters also count, so…"

Lucario looked back at the pile of video games then looked back at Chris.

Chris forced a small smile and stood up. "I know that you're still a bit fazed about you being from a video game. But don't you want to find out why I'm so interested in them?" he asked.

The Aura Pokémon looked at the box he picked up early. Feeling embarrassed, he asked Chris, "Can you show me…what this video game has? I-it's the one I picked up first, and I got interested to see it…"

Chris walked to the box Lucario was looking at. The teen hid his mouth and then picked the box. "Oh, no way," Chris said, looking interested to Lucario. "I can't believe you decided to look at this game first than all the other ones I have! It's…like a miracle!"

Lucario didn't quite understand what Chris was trying to say. "What do you mean?" Lucario asked.

Chris showed Lucario the box. "Before I get any crazy ideas, what made you get interested in this game?" he asked.

"Well…I can't read, but I grew interested in seeing these persons facing away from each other..." Lucario trailed off embarrassed. "I want to know the story of it all."

Chris gapped his mouth for a bit. "Are you telling me you want to know more about this for real?" he asked as if Lucario was crazy and demented.

"I didn't mind the reading that much…but I do hope to learn how to read," Lucario admitted. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no, not at all!" Chris said calming himself down. "You're interested to learn the story?"

"I guess?" Lucario said nervous.

"…" Chris clasped his hands and looked up to the ceiling. "Thank you, you blessed me and gave me a true fanatic," he thanked. "A very, VERY unlikely fanatic…"

Lucario was confused to Chris's move that he looked up and saw nothing on the ceiling. He looked back down to Chris. "Are you feeling okay?" Lucario asked confused.

"…Oh, what?" Chris snapped out from his senses. "Y-yes, I'm alright. D-do you want to see this video game with me now?"

Lucario nodded with a blank look on his face. "Sure, I don't mind if you don't have anything else to do. What's the worst thing that could happen?" he asked.

_A couple of hours later…_

Lucario's blank look was intact as he was sitting down beside Chris, but that didn't stop him from taking off his eyes from the television as Chris played through the game himself. It was hard to tell, but Lucario liked everything that he was watching. He was mesmerized by the depth in the story, astonished at the battle scenes that were part of the game, wonderfully pleased at the pleasant music that enchanted his ears (which he actually liked a lot), and deeply moved by the characters portrayed. Chris took it upon himself to read everything, which caused the aura wielder to really want to try learning how to read by himself soon.

The Aura Pokémon found out that he became some sort of fanatic at first sight, and he could tell why Chris liked to play video games so much.

"I decided to start a new file because I wanted to _live _the game again…and get everything I missed," Chris commented.

"How does one _live _a video game?" Lucario asked.

"Don't you feel that you're helping the characters getting around dangerous situations? That's how you _live _the game. You appreciate it for its incredible depth. In return, you get to see more about it."

If only Lucario could get a hold of the controller on Chris's hands, he would probably understand the feeling. "I see…" Lucario trailed off.

Chris took his eyes off the screen to look at Lucario, who seemed to be entertained from a small cutscene rendered in full CGI. Wondering about something, Chris told Lucario, "I'm getting tired. I need to go take a bath…"

Lucario turned to Chris. "So soon?" he asked in a depressed tone. "I wanted to see more of this…video game."

Chris's doubts were answered. He looked up to the ceiling with a wide smile. "(…Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,)" Chris repeatedly thought while beaming in glee. "(This has to be some kind of miracle. This Lucario of ALL people is…is…a video game fanatic! N-no, I literally turned him into one! I did the unthinkable!)"

Lucario looked worried at the television before his look turned blank again, mesmerized once another random battle encounter had begun in the game. Chris looked down and let go of his shoulders a bit, smiling at the curious Lucario. "I want to see how you do in this fight," Lucario said. "Is there more to this story? I want to know more."

The teen thanked god so much that he would forever be indebted.

"W-well, if you really want to see more, then I think we can delay our time to go to bath," Chris said, pleasing Lucario in the process. "Let's see… Ooh, we're close to a boss fight."

"A boss fight?" Lucario wondered. "What is a boss fight?"

"Imagine a strong monster that needs you to make a strategy so that it can be defeated and then you'll get the idea."

Chris never noticed that Lucario moved his face closer to the television, apparently waiting to see the boss fight.

"After this, we're going to take a shower one after the other," Chris said.

"You're not going to keep playing anymore?" Lucario asked, once again, depressed.

Chris wondered that he could get even closer with Lucario this time around. There were no possible moments where the Aura Pokémon would snap out angrily. If this was Chris's chance to foster a better relationship, he knew he had to take it now. "(Do it so he likes you more…) …I can make an exception and keep playing after taking a bath and eating breakfast," Chris said.

"(Do I have to wait that long?)" Lucario asked dismayed. "I…I see," he said.

Chris knew he struck gold together with oil.

Surprisingly, the day went very fast. Lucario never noticed that time flew by the longer he stayed staring at Chris playing a video game. It was morning a few seconds ago, and then it was afternoon some minutes ago until night arrived. When Lucario took off his eyes from the television for one moment, he gasped when he saw the night's sky through the window of the room.

"(This is horrible… Have I been distracted by this so much that I never noticed how much time I lost?)" Lucario thought bewildered.

But once he glanced back to the television where Chris had entered another boss fight, Lucario forgot all about the mental shock and went back to stare more. Lucario wondered about why Chris was able to keep playing for a long period of time without getting tired at all. Then he realized that video games had some kind of effect in people that allowed them to keep playing nonstop. It was no wonder why they had many interesting features in them.

For Lucario's dismay, Chris was already getting tired. "I think I got too excited today that I let the whole day fly by… Not that I can complain," he said chuckling as he saved his game file and turned the console off. "I do this a lot, anyway."

"It's over?" Lucario asked depressed.

Chris turned to Lucario. "Sorry, but I think I played this a little bit too much today," he said. "Besides, I already know what happens in this game in the end."

Lucario was shocked that his experience had an ending. Chris noticed the depressed look on his face that he felt sorry for Lucario.

"…We can continue tomorrow if you like," Chris said, shocking Lucario. "Heheh, I'd never thought that would end up enjoying video games."

Lucario looked away embarrassed. "I…I admit I like them…just a bit," he muttered the last part.

"I saw how you never took off your eyes from the game," Chris pointed out. "It's like you can't look at anything else rather than the TV. And also, you appreciate the game besides just the gameplay…just…like I do too."

Lucario stared at Chris for a while. "Isn't it normal for other people to do the same thing as we do?" he asked.

Chris looked away with a bored look. "Nowadays, gamers make games look overrated because they never have the guts to step on to other genres. They like gameplay over anything else that games trying to deliver like, say, an important message for people." He looked at Lucario. "But you're…you're a true gamer fanatic, and I think we got something in common with that. Well, I never expected you to show me this side."

Lucario didn't want to admit that he was a gamer fanatic. "Is it…bad that I share something in common with you?" he asked.

"What are you saying? That makes you more awesome!" Chris rejoiced. "The mere thought of a gamer Lucario never crossed my mind a single time, but you're a really special case that it's incredibly amazing to see with my own eyes!"

The teen blushed after realizing what he said while the Aura Pokémon stared shocked at him. For a brief moment, Lucario felt flattered by the remarks Chris said to him. The Aura Pokémon looked away with a small smile, feeling a bit proud. It felt very good to Lucario that he was admired in such a way.

"I-I'm sorry for suddenly bursting out like that…" Chris said embarrassed. "I got too excited with you."

"It's okay," Lucario said. "I'm glad I…excited you like that."

Lucario wasn't kidding. He was happy that Chris called him awesome, but then Lucario's loyalty to his real trainer kicked in, making him feel a bit horrified that he liked someone else.

"I-I won't do it again. I REALLY feel embarrassed…" Chris trailed off, looking at the clock. "It's still a little bit too early to rest and I feel a little hungry. Do you want to have dinner?"

Lucario stood up from his spot and nodded.

"I've got great news. We still have some leftovers from the steak we ate yesterday."

The word "steak" was so stuck on Lucario's mind that he couldn't wait to taste the meat once more. He reminded himself not to snap out at Chris if he tapped his shoulder. "Let's go to eat," Lucario said a little excited.

As the two walked down the hallway, Chris smiled to himself. "(This day started off very good and ended in a good note. I'm making a really nice progress this time… I need to keep this up tomorrow. I wonder if I can make him…play video games? It's possible, and I know that will give me a lot of points with him.)"

With a new idea in mind, Chris waited for tomorrow and see if his plan would help Lucario to grow closer to him and, hopefully, make the Aura Pokémon feel at home.

"(I better be careful and not think this place is any better than my homeland,)" Lucario thought. "(I…I will stay loyal to my real trainer forever…)"

* * *

_The next chapter will continue with Chris's plan, meaning that it will be a new chapter as well. I hope you all liked the small read, and sorry for not updating for a long while._

_I encourage all readers to review. :)_


	6. An Unbelievable Strength

_A new spark of interest enlightened me to write a new chapter._

_I encourage all readers to read on, enjoy, and review. :)_

* * *

**Chapter 6: An Unbelievable Strength**

It was a brand new day as always. Yesterday, Chris and Lucario had been enjoying themselves more than they could think. Although Chris felt that there was hope to form a nice bond with Lucario, the Aura Pokémon still held the idea that Chris wasn't his trainer. He just saw him as a friend.

Waking up first, Lucario opened his eyes and looked outside for a brief moment. "(I wonder if he still wants to play video games with me,)" he said. "(…I hope I don't become an addict…)"

The Aura Pokémon heard the teen yawning behind his back. Looking over his shoulder, Lucario was greeted by a small smile from Chris. "Oh, good morning… You're such an early bird…"

"I am tempered in body and mind," Lucario said. "Therefore, I do my best to look strong."

Chris slowly sat up. He wondered how much of that was true. In fact, he wanted to ask an important question. Given his eyes, the teen was fully awake. "That reminds me. How did get to be so tall?"

Lucario stared blankly. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Am I very tall?"

It surprised Chris that the Lucario never thought he was very big. Chris barely even reached Lucario's neck, making it possible that the back of his head would have an accident should he ever decide to stop with the towering Pokémon following him from behind. "Well, yes, you're…huge."

Lucario couldn't help but preen a little. "That goes to show I'm strong," he said

"Let me measure your size to give you an idea…"

A few minutes later, the teen had the Aura Pokémon stand upright while Chris used a measuring tape. Not counting the long ears, Chris had to climb up his bed to reach the top of Lucario's head. He then went all the way down to the floor, Lucario staring down at him. "According to this measurement, you're… 6'07''?!"

"Is that tall?" Lucario asked.

Chris stood up. "I-I'm just 5'3''! You're technically a giant the same size as a Mewtwo!" he pointed out. "Lucario are roughly just 4 feet that…"

Lucario got in deep thought. He was actually thinking about fighting Mewtwo someday, but his chances were pretty slim as they were. "Then perhaps I'm just a special kind of Lucario."

"N-no kidding…" Chris trailed off, kind of shaking.

The Aura Pokémon noticed the shaking. "Why are you shaking?" he asked.

"I-it's…uh…just that it's kind of a scary thought," Chris said. "I fear that one day you might try to hurt me if I accidentally offend you in some way…"

The Aura Pokémon stared flatly at the teen. "…You're my only hope to survive in this world," he said. "I'm very grateful that you're taking care of me." He placed a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Instead of hurting you, I would most likely…no, I would protect you from harm if somebody else were to do it."

Chris stared up at Lucario for a long while, blushing slightly at the statement. "Uh… That's…really kind of you, really…" Chris trailed off. "…It kind of feels like I have a super guardian watching my back."

Lucario chuckled. "I don't mind you calling me that," he said.

Chris chuckled next. "N-no, just saying your name is enough to me," he said. "Besides, what am I thinking? You're just tall. Last time I checked, your level was around 40…"

The Aura Pokémon felt a bit peeved, but he restrained a glare. "I told you that I'm strong," he said, facing the bed and lifting it up with a single hand. He then looked back at Chris. "Not just tall but very strong."

The teen could hardly believe what he saw. There he was, staring at a tall Lucario lifting a pretty heavy bed with one bare hand that just barely budged if it was pulled by one normal person. "…Holy…crap!" Chris exclaimed in disbelief. "You're…"

"Very strong," Lucario finished, still holding the bed with one hand. It didn't really look like his hand was even struggling with the sheer weight of the bed.

"I-I see and don't believe it…" He got closer to him. "That status screen was lying to me all this time or what? This bed is just too heavy to lift this easily!"

Lucario seemed to raise a hairless eyebrow. "Really now?"

"I can't believe you don't know your own strength," Chris said. "You're like…like some kind of Pokémon version of Hercules, except without the muscles!"

"Who's Hercules?"

"Uh, the strongest Greek God with incredible strength…"

Lucario looked back at the bed on top of his hand and smiled slightly, placing it back to its spot. "I feel so special today for some reason," he said, clearly joking.

Chris couldn't help but grab one of Lucario's hands. The Aura Pokémon saw how the teen pressed his own hand. "Your hand feels kind of soft, but then there's some kind of very thick layer underneath…"

"I'm a Steel-type," Lucario pointed out. "I have normal skin on the outside, but a thick body of steel underneath."

"And very fluffy whenever taking a bath," Chris's mouth blabbed quickly. "I-I mean, you're just…amazing…" The Aura Pokémon started to suspect that the teen was trying so hard to make Lucario like him. He quietly read the teen's mind without raising suspicion. "(First a Lucario stumbles upon my room, then I start to surprisingly open up to him, and now I find out that he's apparently Hercules' own Pokémon! Oh goodness, how much more incredible can this get?)"

It was clearly Lucario Appreciation Day.

Chris shook his head, not even feeling that his privacy got violated a bit. "Y-you know, this made me think that you probably want to do some sort of exercise… A Pokémon like you surely wants to keep getting stronger," he said.

Somehow, Lucario liked where the conversation was going. He had food and commodities, and the only part that was missing was working out. "Yes, definitely," he said. "I feel like there is a lot more room for improvement."

"Oh, in that case, I want to have you do something for me after we have breakfast," Chris said. "We'll be going outside to the yard. I just hope that I don't make you feel undermined for what I have in mind…"

Not wanting to mind-read again, Lucario asked, "What?"

"It's just so that I have wood to burn for the chimney outside," Chris said. "Problem is, the logs are pretty long and they can't fit into the chimney as they are. It's not even cold yet, but so I thought that you'll like to…uh…use your strength to snap the wood in half just so that you get to train for a bit."

Lucario kept staring at him till he said, "Let's eat so you can show me those logs."

After experiencing the wonders of bacon, the teen brought the towering Pokémon outside to the yard. They went behind the house till reaching a spot full of long logs. The logs themselves were very wide, and Lucario saw the chimney before: they weren't going to fit they way they were.

"Unless you want to use the axe inside the small storehouse behind," Chris said, "you're all free to go."

Lucario looked at the pile of wide logs. There were a lot of them. "Good, this shall prove to be a worthwhile job," he said, snapping his neck a bit. He then cracked his large hands.

"(Oh god, he's starting to feel narcissistic. I shouldn't have said so many remarks… Wait…is he trying to impress me?)" Chris realized, feeling a bit touched by the thought. "(I-in that case, I need to keep this going…) It's okay if you don't want to do everything."

"Are you kidding me?" Lucario asked, looking sideways at Chris. "I can do this in one sitting. Watch me." He lifted a wide log, possibly the widest one of the whole bunch, and placed it down. Moving to the tip, Lucario brought a heavy fist down, snapping the thick log apart into two pieces.

Chris was amazed. The log was so thick that it would've taken three axe strikes to cut through, but Lucario only needed one hit. "T-that was…very good," Chris remarked. "(Oh no, I'm remarking him again… Who am I kidding, this is awesome!)"

Lucario moved back and cut another section off with one fist. Having moved to the last section, Lucario stood up and crushed the middle portion with his foot.

"(Even his feet are crazy-strong!)" Chris thought. "You're…downright super powerful in any way…"

"Thank you," Lucario said, almost as if he was acting cool. He looked over to the pile of wide logs. "There is still some job to do…"

Ten minutes it was all it took for the Herculean Lucario to finish with the logs. Chris had been staring, watching the dutiful Aura Pokémon display his unbelievable strength. The logs were giving away to his sheer strength. There were instances that pointed wood would leave a nasty mark on anybody's fist, but Lucario's fists completely reduced them all into pieces. Once he had cut down all the logs, Lucario picked them up and stacked them on one arm, carrying a pyramid of ten logs to place back on the spot he took them from.

Chris was still impressed, as the towering Lucario approached him, dusting off his knuckles. "There you go," he said. "You're ready for the winter."

"Y-yes, thank you," Chris said smiling. "I have to give it to you. You're surely the strongest being in this world."

"Why, thank you," Lucario said nodding, pulling Chris under his arm. The teen's face was practically brushing against the Pokémon's furred chest. "I feel stronger just knowing that."

The teen leaned in and wrapped one arm behind Lucario, not even budging him one bit despite the small force. "If my Lucario is happy, then I'm happy," Chris said.

The two chuckled for a bit until they realized they were sharing a hug of sorts. Staring shocked at each other, Chris and Lucario separated and looked away, feeling very embarrassed.

On Chris's side, it felt like he truly owned a Lucario. The feeling was really nice, to say the least, but then embarrassment took in. "(Oh god, I just…I just hugged him…and he did it first to me!)" Chris thought alarmed. "(Is…is he perhaps figuring out that…)"

On Lucario's side, it felt to him that Chris was his trainer. The feeling was so natural that he was grateful he even did such a move, but then realization hit him hard. "(W-what did I just… I pulled him into a hug without objecting?)" Lucario thought alarmed. "(But I have another trainer! How could I do this?)"

Not wanting to feel embarrassed anymore, the two turned to face each other with small smiles. "I think we got carried away there…" Chris trailed off.

"Agreed," Lucario said. "…It was…nice, though."

"U-uh…yes, it was," Chris said. "For a second there, I thought you were making sure I was okay, but I'm obviously dreaming too much…"

Lucario looked sideways. "…You can…think of it that way…" He blushed slightly. "You're not really bad at all. It almost feels to me that my trainer was right next to me."

Chris looked sad. "(I hope one day you realize that I've been using that trainer you speak of to raise you, so…technically speaking…I am your trainer…)"

Lucario felt that his ears drooped sideways a little. "(How can this even happen to me?)" he asked himself. "(I barely have any memories of my original trainer and yet I don't feel a thing for her. Yet when I'm with Chris…his attitude…his hospitality…his aura, all make me feel right at home… Ugh, I can't let him make me change my mind. I must be loyal! But still, part of me doesn't want to leave him behind!)"

The teen cleared his throat. "W-well, since we're done here, why don't we go back outside?" Chris suggested. Lucario snapped out from his thoughts and nodded.

As the day passed, Lucario and Chris felt conflicted of what was going to happen tomorrow. The luxuries at home would eventually make Lucario feel more grateful towards Chris, who would forget any troubles clouding his mind.

Future would only tell them both how the events would play out with time…

After night settled in, Chris then recalled something. "Hey, Lucario," he said.

Lucario, sitting on the floor to the side, looked at him over his right shoulder. "Yes?"

"I forgot yesterday, but… Do you want to play…video games tomorrow…with me?"

The Aura Pokémon seemed to grin. "Oh, sure. I'm looking forward to it."

Lucario would eventually warm up even more all the same.

* * *

_I completely forgot about Chris's plan till I looked back, but still, now everyone here can tell how special this Lucario is._

_And in case you want to imagine clear depictions of them both, I have released art in DeviantArt and the Colors site. My username in both places is the same as here. Take in mind that I'm fresh to this, so my drawings will possibly get better with time._

_I encourage all readers to review. :)_


	7. A Very Odd Team

_And thus, the plan begins. Nobody said anything about the plan working flawlessly, though…_

_I encourage all you aura fanatics to read on, enjoy, and review._

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Very Odd Team**

Gone were the days Chris would think Lucario were the fiercest of Pokémon who did anything but mundane activities. His…or rather, the Lucario in his home has showed him that curiosity was perhaps the most lethal weapon that would rope unlucky individuals into dangerous traps that would forever change their life.

This was the case today. It all involved a Wiimote and a Nunchuk.

After having directed Lucario to do the usual morning routine that was eating breakfast and having a refreshing shower followed by dental hygiene, it was time for Chris to put his plan in action: get Lucario to play video games with him. The plan was very thrilling. Lucario proved that he saw more into what made video games very exciting. He was put in a good course.

Awkwardly holding a Wiimote and a Nunchuk in his rather large paws – which were even larger on him due to his tremendous size – Lucario had no trouble pressing the comparably smaller buttons. Chris was impressed that this Lucario could manage to achieve such a feat. "I can easily use any region of my fingers as a solid point to touch anything smaller without overlapping…but I need a little more practice, still," he had told Chris. The articulation of his three large "fingers" on each hand was impressive as well. A finger in charge of the upper buttons, another in charge of any side buttons.

Chris fought back the thought involving taking a picture of a large Lucario holding the controllers. "I'll never stop saying this. You're amazing in so many ways beyond your incredible strength." Lucario preened a little, feeling touched at the remarks. "Are you…really sure you want to play video games with me?"

"They seemed like a good way to pass the time as I saw you play them," Lucario said. "But…why start with these, uh, controllers? I saw you playing with another one…"

"I just thought that you needed to have a fresh start before you move on to more complicated games," Chris said. "It's…also a test of patience to see how long you can stay calm."

"I see no reason why I should throw a tantrum over this," Lucario said with a deadpan look.

Chris shrugged. "Every person is different in a single topic… You'll never know till you try." They both stared at the TV in front of them. Amusing as it was, Chris was making Lucario play Wii Sports. The plan was to have him play every single sport event. Seeing that Lucario was a Fighting-type, the most obvious first choice was to have him play boxing. "Have you ever heard about boxing?"

"Oh, yes," Lucario said, smiling a bit. "Us Fighting-types are into that sort of sport…but I can't remember why I like it even if I never got to participate in a boxing match."

"(Probably because Pokémon games never have a boxing mini-game in them,)" Chris thought. He refrained from voicing out his thoughts. "Incidentally, do you know how to read, Lucario?"

Lucario grimaced and shook his head. "I can only talk…" he admitted.

A very happy thought crossed Chris's mind. "Oh, do you mind if I teach you how to read soon?"

The Aura Pokémon's lips formed a small smile. "Please do," he said. "I want to learn many more things… They all are very enlightening."

There were more things to show Lucario. There were so many days, all of them being special. He could hardly wait what else to do after this plan was over with, but he needed to focus on the current situation. "I'll gladly teach you," Chris said smiling. "For now, though, let's start your first boxing match."

"Am I going to punch you?" Lucario asked, and Chris saw his anguished look. He was afraid of the concept of punching somebody far more defenseless. "I…I don't want to…"

Chris shivered at the thought. "N-no, you don't punch a living person in this game," he said, and Lucario sighed in relief. "What you're going to do is this… The controllers, they respond to the motion of your hands."

The Aura Pokémon raised an eyebrow. "Huh, that's weird," he admitted.

"We're in a new generation where games are starting to become far more interactive than before," Chris explained. "Technology is advancing rather fast in this world. We'll eventually have flying cars in a few years…but I really don't think that'll happen." He shook his head. "In any case, the left controller you're holding has the function to move a pointer at the screen. Try it."

Confused, Lucario moved the Wiimote in his hand to the screen. He got startled a bit when a small hand appeared, hovering over the screen's area. Tilting his head, he wobbled the controller, watching the pointer following his control's aiming direction. "That's really curious…" he said. "Uh, how am I playing boxing again?"

Chris forgot Lucario couldn't read. "Move that pointer over that rectangle over there… No, the other one."

A few minutes passed and Lucario had been taught everything he needed to know about playing boxing. He just had to make sure that he didn't throw wide punches since the two controllers were attached by a short cable that could easily snap if Lucario wasn't careful.

Chris saw that Lucario looked like a pro. Fists clenched tightly on the controllers brought in front of his chest, the Lucario was even hopping slightly to the sides. Something told Chris that Lucario was getting a little too much into the experience. The Aura Pokémon grunted and growled occasionally whenever throwing slow, but clean punches forward. "And these opponents are supposed to stand a chance against me? Don't make me laugh," Lucario said deadpan.

The teenager chuckled and thought Lucario was cool saying such a thing. "You're kind of a natural for this game. There are going to be harder opponents as you progress, though," Chris said.

"Huh, I would like to have a go with them," Lucario said. "These people are dropping like flies against me…"

The Lucario had a burning fighting spirit, Chris thought. Even though Lucario was playing a simulation, he thought he was doing valuable exercise. He completely enjoyed boxing, feeling proud of every single Mii opponent that doubled over and lost the heated matches against him. "They're lucky I'm not there inside the TV," Lucario commented. "Otherwise, they would have died at the first attack."

"My goodness, you're really into this," Chris said flatly.

"And they're making a grave mistake. I'll let them keep fighting me…"

Chris didn't like how Lucario was showing some heavy examples of pure cockyness, but he let the Aura Pokémon go on. As long as Lucario was thrilled to play, it would help Chris to open up more to him. Yesterday just proved that Lucario, deep down, didn't mind the prospect of protecting the teen even if it meant enjoying his company. Chris had to bring that thought out from Lucario's depths.

There was no way Chris could get Lucario back to his world…

From the start, Lucario had been enjoying beating so many opponents. Thinking that Lucario needed to rest between matches, Chris took it upon himself to become some sort of coach and hand Lucario a bottle of cold water, but he knew the Aura Pokémon's stamina was very inhuman. Even then, Lucario sat down on the bed and took the bottle, almost entirely drinking more than half the water. "This is so good," he said, flashing a small smile. "It does feel like I'm doing real-life boxing."

"I'm so but so glad that you're enjoying yourself," Chris said, returning the smile.

Lucario nodded almost too quickly. "I can't wait to continue my long winning streak. These opponents are getting harder, yet they're not that difficult."

"I'll be sitting here watching you. If you feel tired, I'll give you more water."

"Thank you."

The thankful message made Chris feel at home as he saw Lucario stand his full height, raising his eager fists to do battle.

That feeling of being on top of the world was soon coming to an end.

Lucario started to lose, much to his chagrin. His long winning streak had been forever shattered. That meant he needed to start from the ground and create another one to break his record. Unfortunately, he was playing to raise his rank. The opponents were outsmarting his moves. Chris's fears then surfaced when he heard Lucario say, "How is it possible that I'm starting to lose against these people?"

"I-it's just the game trying to make things more challenging," Chris said. "I-I believe you can eventually defeat them."

Lucario barely managed to defeat the next set of opponents. Soon enough, he fell into a rather long losing streak that was making his blood boil. Chris noticed the scary serious look on the Aura Pokémon's red eyes. His eyelids were inclining down on his muzzle's direction while the back portions held their ground. He was glaring fiercely at the screen.

Just as Lucario was losing his remaining health in the game, Chris said, "Y-you know, you probably need to pause the game for a bit an-"

"AAH!" Lucario let out a small yet loud shout as his character doubled over, losing to his opponent. The Aura Pokémon bared his fangs and tightened his fists in pure frustration.

Then a very startling sound came from his hands.

Lucario briefly snapped out from his rage, dropping the fierce glare. Chris covered his mouth as Lucario stared down at the controllers. Somewhere along his frustration, his almighty hands had put up an unnecessarily tight grip on the controllers that they had been reduced to crumpled plastic and broken chips. The broken batteries had let out a few sparks, but Lucario's tough body didn't feel a tingle.

"…My…my controllers…" Chris muttered.

"…" Lucario averted his eyes from looking at Chris. He was now blushing in embarrassment. "…I…I'm sorry for…for this…" Lucario closed his eyes, angered that he couldn't come up with a better apology.

Chris couldn't shake the fact that this was going to happen eventually. After watching Lucario so thrilled to punch virtual people silly, it all had to end badly soon enough. Chris was not as competitive as Lucario, but the first thought the latter needed a small break. It was Lucario's first time, after all. "…It's…not that bad, really," Chris said. "I still have reserves…and money is not hard to come by."

"Still…" Lucario muttered, sitting down. The teen sighed and grabbed the remains of the unlucky controllers, dropping them in a nearby trash can. Lucario put his chin on his hands. "This is so embarrassing…"

"I hope you're not referring to your…losing streak," Chris struggled to say the last words.

"…I don't know if I should continue," Lucario muttered depressed.

Chris felt stuck in his plan. It had turned out for the worse. "(I just don't like seeing him like that. It's going to make him feel so down! I need to change this…) Listen…" Lucario turned to him, although he did it very slow, "…there are far better games in this one that won't make you feel like this… If you give me a chance, I'll assure you that you won't regret it."

Lucario moved his eyes away, his face facing the teen. "…"

"You were having so much fun," Chris pointed out. "I…I want to see you so lively like that."

Lucario then looked up to Chris. As he did so, he stood fully back up, now staring down at him. He seemed to be thinking when he fell silent. "…If you say so," he said, forcing a small smile.

"(Alright, there might be still a chance…)" Chris nodded and smiled, taking another controller. "For the next set of games, though, we're going to be using just one controller. The Nunchuk isn't necessary."

Lucario looked ashamed. "You're not thinking that I might break two, right?" he asked.

"N-no, no," Chris said, looking a bit shaken. "The other games really don't need the Nunchuk."

"Okay…"

The teen felt really sorry for the Aura Pokémon. It was like a giant was tearing things apart by accident, having no control of himself. Perhaps Chris needed to change Lucario for the better. The next lessons of life he wanted to impart to Lucario would have different results, as long as nothing disastrous would drive the Aura Pokémon to anger or shame…or a combination of both.

A tennis match would probably help to cheer his spirits.

After a while of having explained the control for the game, Lucario had no trouble playing it. It was far less stressful than the boxing matches. "This is…kind of dull," Lucario finally admitted.

"(I feared he'd say that,)" Chris thought. "Well…let's play together as a team."

Lucario looked surprised at the idea. "More than one player can play this?"

"Of course. You saw the options before getting here, right? It's not always fun to play by yourself. For that, many games have the option for multiple people to play together or against each other…" Chris grimaced. "Since I don't want to repeat your first competitive issues, we're going to play together as a team against the computer characters."

Lucario briefly recalled the thrill of a trainer and Pokémon working together in a battle. This was vastly different, yet he couldn't help but think it was sort of the same… Something was odd, though…

How much longer would he try to remember the vague memories he had of the past? It was something he hadn't told Chris yet. Lucario was under the illusion that he shared many fond memories with his trainer; memories he was trying hard to uncover…yet felt like there was nothing. The psychological trauma in his mind was haunting him. The new memories he was making now were completely overshadowing the past he tried to remember.

Feeling sidetracked, Lucario snapped out from his thoughts and focused on the present. There was no use lingering on the past…

The time passed, and the two eventually reached a new friendly stage. Playing together, Lucario deemed Chris a fun person, and Chris deemed Lucario a very capable player. Chris then just heard Lucario chuckle. "I can't believe this, but…I'm better than you at hitting the ball."

"T-that's just because I'm rusty!" Chris said embarrassed. "I never put too much attention to this game because I had better games to play!"

"Really now…"

"I hope for the life of you that you're not playfully mocking me!"

"You just missed the ball."

"S-stop distracting me!"

"But I'm just telling you to focus."

"O-okay, I'll focus! (He's having his day now, but I need to stop getting flustered!)"

The teen never found out the Aura Pokémon had read his mind, pleased to hear he was briefly outsmarting his human teacher.

Eventually, the two managed to play with more sync, and the playful teasing died down as the game matches went on. Unfortunately, they reached the same point where the computer characters were giving them a run for their money. However, since Chris was roped into the game this time, there was a positive outcome.

Lucario grunted in frustration. "They're getting better than us," he said.

"It's okay," Chris said. "We can still pull through. If we can't, we'll train harder in exhibition matches."

The Aura Pokémon smiled. "That's just an indication that there's more room for improvement. I like to think I can become better."

"Yes, exactly! It'd be boring winning all the time otherwise."

"Yes…yes, it would… (That's funny… I never thought I'd say that. Here I was, thinking losing was a very bad thing… He really is a good teacher…)" Lucario looked sideways at Chris. "(…I…I can't let him make me think that he's better than my trainer… It's just….it's just…!)"

The game paused, snapping Lucario out of his thoughts. "I'm getting bored of playing tennis already," Chris said. "Are you?"

"What? Uh… I guess so," Lucario replied.

"You look odd… Did something happen?" Chris asked.

"N-no, nothing happened," the Aura Pokémon said. "Can we please continue? I'm eager to see what else is in store for us."

"…" Chris forced a smile and nodded. "Have you ever heard about golf?"

The next phase of the plan was making Lucario into a golfer. It took half a smooth swing of his arms and hands to break a second Wiimote over his head, the pieces lifelessly bumping down his body. His jaw fell in shock. "I-I'm sorry!" Lucario uttered a fast apology. "I did it without even thinking!"

"I-I still have two more to spare," Chris said, hesitant to say the fact. He took the broken pieces and tossed them in the trash can, joining the unlucky victims inside. He handed over another controller to Lucario. "Please, be careful. They're dropping even faster than I thought they would for my tastes…"

"Y-yes… I-I'll be more careful, I promise…" Lucario shyly took the third controller.

Lucario had a hard time trying to get the controls right. He would swing too fast, as if he wanted to send the golf ball across the sky instead of the hole. Chris had made it a rule not to get too close to Lucario while he used the controller, or else the possibility of dying was high. Knowing the almighty Aura Pokémon, he would really come to a halt. He was a master at anticipating blows.

The topic about controlling his strength was a different matter, but that was for another day.

The Aura Pokémon eventually caught the ball of the control, and he was now swinging clean shots at the highest level without overlapping. "Who thought it was a good idea to put this limit in my swings?" Lucario questioned, clearly a bit peeved about not showcasing his full potential.

"Well, you got to remember this is a family game… There needs to be a chance for anybody to be able to win," Chris explained.

There came another issue that didn't involve breaking a third controller. Due to the game's nature to add a wind hazard, Lucario couldn't tell exactly what it meant. He just knew it played a part in the game. He did notice that his ball would smoothly turn to the direction the arrow on the screen pointed at. "I assume that arrow has some effect on my swings?" Lucario theorized.

"O-oh! Yes," Chris said. "That arrow tells you the direction where the wind is going. Depending on how fast it is, your shots will be affected."

"The number changes between holes every once in a while."

"It's completely at random, so you need to adjust your direction a bit… It won't always be perfect, but you can get very close to avoiding a fatal mistake."

"I…I just don't know how to tell," Lucario said. "Do I need to…read?"

It became apparent that Lucario was annoyed that he couldn't read properly. There was something odd to that once Chris had recalled that Lucario had read the cover of the game he was playing two days ago. "Wait a minute. You don't know how to read, yet you read the cover you picked two days ago?"

Lucario paused the game and looked away from Chris. "…I read…except not through the common method," he said, turning to look at Chris. "I read your mind while you were playing. You just happened to think what I saw on the cover. I think you saw me, and you immediately assumed I was going to read the words… In fact, I've been using you as my method for reading all this time…" His ears, very slightly, drooped. "…This is very embarrassing for me to admit…"

"(He…seriously needs guidance,)" Chris said. "(Without guidance, he'll be intruding a little too much into my own thoughts…)" The teen patted the Aura Pokémon's back. "Please, don't be so embarrassed. You're doing an amazing progress."

"Am I?" Lucario asked, worried that it wasn't true.

"Yes, you do," Chris said. "You're still shaken by the fact you're here all alone in the world…but you have me for support, and I'll do the best of my ability to teach you what you want…" He forced a smile. "You're paying me with your company…and…that's really all I could ask for…"

"…Chris…" Lucario muttered. "…Thank you for telling me that."

"We're supporting each other like Pokémon and trainer," Chris said. He gasped under his breath and shook his head. "I-I mean, we're like Pokémon and trainer, but that doesn't mean we're officially like that! You still have your trainer…"

Lucario smiled a bit. "I don't mind you being a replacement for my trainer...i-in that you teach me all this, that is. (I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon. I need to stop thinking this soon…)"

Chris decided that it was a nice gesture to give Lucario a hug. The Aura Pokémon got startled by the action. "Let's keep enjoying our time together, shall we?" Chris asked.

"(On the other hand…I like where this is going,)" Lucario thought pleased. "All right, let us continue…but I don't like golf much."

"Let's try baseball next!" Chris piped up.

He was the star of the stadium: The Aura Pokémon Baseball Player Extraordinaire. Together with his (replacement) human partner Chris, the computer characters stood no chance to their combined might. Sure, the virtual ball should have sent straight into space with his strength, but the limitations of the game did not stop him to pave his way to stardom.

"Aren't any of these sports in real life, too?" Lucario asked while swinging a clean hit to the ball, scoring a Home Run. "Instead of trying them out in the house, why don't we go out? Oh, wait, I remember…"

Chris rubbed his chin. "I could try to sneak you out with your Poké Ball to somewhere alone… But I fear you'd get spotted."

"It's very easy for me to detect over ten-thousand auras in a hundred miles, though."

"Yes, but we still need to…" Chris did a double-take after registering the statement better. "Say how many what when?"

Lucario looked down at him. "From where I am standing right now, I can detect thousands of people within a hundred miles going in their everyday life. For example, there are three people living right next door… They seem to be having their meal."

The teen blinked in surprise. Chris knew there were three people next door. He had never told Lucario about any neighbors. "R-really now?" he asked. "If I remember, well-trained Lucario can detect auras within a mile or so…but you can really go beyond that limit?"

Lucario was just about to swing. "It's very easy to me…" He swung his bat. "Do other Lucario have that…limit? It looks pretty underdeveloped compared to what I can do."

"That's because you're some kind of top percentage Lucario!" Chris said. "All the Lucario I have seen…uh…from the TV and the games I've played don't really look like you… Seriously, you never met another Lucario?"

"Sadly, no," Lucario said. "The opponents I've faced never had a single Riolu for that matter… What was that about? It's like no trainers wanted to have a shot at owning my line."

"Your species are really that rare in-game," Chris pointed out. "Only the most important people do own one, though…"

"I see. It's a shame I can't accurately compare myself with another Lucario."

There was no way to confirm that all Lucario were nukers bent of dominating the Pokémon World, so Chris came up with a better response. "I truly believe you're the best Lucario out there."

Lucario blinked, blushing a bit at the remark. "…Thanks…" He smiled to himself, scoring another Home Run.

"You're such a natural for baseball."

"I know."

"You've gotten awfully cocky, too…"

"I know… I mean…"

"It kind of suits you, though. You really look cool."

"T-thanks again…"

Lucario had a magnificent run in his first baseball session. However, winning a lot led him to get bored quickly of the sport. "There's one last sport for you to try out: bowling," Chris said. "You want to go ahead with it? Maybe we can play against each other for real…"

The Aura Pokémon looked concerned. "I'll try not to let my competitive spirit get the better of me," he said. "Things are at stake now that you want to play against me…"

"You really don't know how frightened I am after hearing you say that…"

"Actually, your aura is emitting emotional waves of pure fright," Lucario pointed out until he gasped slightly. "W-what I'm trying to say is…I won't snap at you. I promise… Also, I won't crush another controller."

"I'll take your word for it…"

Time passed and Chris could hardly believe that this Lucario was wiping the floor with his sorry butt. Recalling that the swing of the arm in bowling was very crucial, Chris could only assume that Lucario had perfect hand movements despite the fact the Aura Pokémon's hands were huge. The score was a sight to behold. Chris was nearly 40 points behind. "How can this be even happening?" Chris questioned. "R-right, I'm just into other games. T-this is just a different genre I'm really not very into…"

"Maybe I was born for this."

"Q-quiet, you big cocky blue dog…"

"Do you want to destroy your controller? I found it a very good stress reliever." Chris stared at him with a very deadpan look. "S-sorry…"

"I have no hope winning against you…and I'm not even letting you win!"

There was so much good chemistry going on between the human and the Pokémon. The whole day went by as they recalled all the moments Lucario enjoyed so much. As night finally came around, Chris was lying on his bed with Lucario sitting down next to it. A big change, however, was that the Aura Pokémon was not facing away from the teen. Lucario was now sitting sideways, his back leaning against the drawer. He looked down at Chris. "Thank you so much for everything today," Lucario thanked Chris.

Chris put his arms on top of his body. "We really had so much fun today…if you don't count the controllers you…" When he saw Lucario looking down in shame, Chris decided to drop the way he was going. "…I-it's no big deal! I have a lot of spare money to buy replacements! Please, don't get so down…"

"I won't…" Lucario said, smiling truthfully at Chris. "Today made me realize that I need to learn how to read. It's very embarrassing… Has any other Pokémon done this before?"

The teen looked up at the ceiling. "Lucario, that's something I really don't know myself," he said. "But…you have showed me that Pokémon like you are capable of so much more if they put their minds into it… Honestly, I'd never thought I'd get the chance to see it firsthand, but here you are, adapting so well to what a normal human like me gets to do…"

The Aura Pokémon blushed a bit. "Is it that weird?"

"Absolutely not!" Chris said. "You are a Lucario with limitless potential… You have unbelievable strength…you can eat and hold a fork properly despite your size…you can play video games…your aura abilities look flawless… Just think about what else you can do after I teach you everything I know!"

Lucario made a happy expression. "You think I can do it?"

"Yes, you can!" the teen said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to start teaching you how to read. From there, we'll branch out to other things… Once you master all that, you'll become an example of a Renaissance Pokémon."

"A Renaissance Pokémon?" Lucario wondered.

"Oh…I learned this from school last semester. Hundreds of years ago, the term Renaissance Man referred to a person who was the jack of all trades…"

"And master of none, I believe," Lucario said. "That sounds depressing…"

"Oh no, that's not how it is," Chris said. "The Renaissance Man was the jack of all trades AND master of all that he learned… Nowadays, though, there hasn't been another Renaissance Man in this day and age, but I do believe many people try to be one…" He looked worried. "The only level we can achieve is being the jack of all trades, though…which is why I want you to reach that point…and maybe, just maybe be a master."

Lucario blinked, liking the idea of being a Renaissance Pokémon. "…Please, let us work together to become just like that," he said, his eyes heavily implying excitement.

"I don't know if I can do it, but since you're so pumped up…" Chris smiled, "I wish to see how far you can progress."

The teen was taken aback once Lucario placed a hand on top of his hands. "Let's do this tomorrow."

Chris stared at Lucario's hand for a long while till he shyly cupped his own hands. The human's hands could barely cover the Pokémon's hand. The two felt a warm feeling coursing through them, and they did not want to break up from their action. "…Yes, let's do this tomorrow."

The two chuckled together before going to sleep.

The Aura Pokémon would rarely have his back facing the teen from that moment and onwards. Deep in his subconscious, Lucario was accepting Chris as a true friend to support himself…and maybe even more…

The light of the moon outside would distract his train of thoughts. Lucario, though, could hardly wait what else he could learn from his smart instructor. A trainer and Pokémon bond was starting to grow in place of a vague one…

* * *

_Next chapter, Lucario is going to be taught how to read. We'll see how that goes for him._

_I encourage everyone to review._


	8. A Reading Experience

_It's time for this Herculean Lucario to learn how to read properly._

_I encourage all true Lucario fans to read on, enjoy, and review._

* * *

**Chapter 8: A Reading Experience**

A green book of history sat on the towering Lucario's lap, while he himself was sitting down on the living room's couch, with Chris sitting right next to him. The book itself felt a bit heavy, but for the Herculean Lucario, he didn't feel any weight bringing him down. If anything, his body was sinking down the couch deeper than the lighter person who wanted him to learn how to read properly.

The book, now, looked rather intimidating to Lucario. It had two-hundred pages. Each page had dozens of sentences. Lucario thought this was punishment for breaking two controllers through a very thrilling round of virtual boxing, but it wasn't. His eyes lessened the glare he always had with him, and Chris quickly picked the facial expression as a worried one. "I don't really know if I can do this," Lucario told Chris.

"I'm not making you read the entire book," Chris pointed out. "The important thing is that you learn how to read."

That took a huge imaginary weight off from Lucario's shoulders once he sighed loudly.

"But if you're struggling a lot, then that means you're reading a lot."

While the heavy weight returned with half of its girth, Lucario went back to look worried.

Chris shook his head. "You can do this," he encouraged. "You're a very smart Pokémon with the strength to destroy Mt. Everest in less than ten punches… If you're wondering, Mt. Everest is a huge mountain chain."

The encouragement made Lucario feel better. He smiled a bit to the teen. "All this is for me to become a Renaissance Pokémon, right?" Lucario asked.

"Exactly!" Chris piped up. "Your body is a weapon of mass destruction, but it'd be really nice if your mind was just as tempered… Well, I'm not really sure if you're mass destruction material, but your strength is incredible."

The Aura Pokémon chuckled with pride. He wanted to hear more compliments from Chris…

Wait, this felt wrong, Lucario thought. The compliments were nice, but he needed to stay focused and avoid the horrendous thought of subconsciously replacing his vague trainer for the teen. Hopefully, Chris wasn't going to catch on and figure out that Lucario was deliberately trying to shut him off.

Lucario got startled when Chris intruded his train of thoughts by grabbing his right hand with both hands. The Lucario was huge, and thus his body parts were equally big. Chris could barely make a ring out of his fingers around Lucario's big black paw. There were no dirty thoughts in the teen, Lucario could tell that much, so he waited for him to say something before jumping to hasty conclusions. "Flipping pages is going to be a lot of work for you," Chris said. "Your…three fingers are large. It takes five fingers of mine put together to cover one of yours…"

Lucario blinked. "Is this going to affect my reading lessons?" he asked.

"Not by much," Chris replied. "It's flipping pages that will make things hard for you… I guess you'll be flipping them one by one in case you become interested in reading something in particular."

"What could I get interested into?" Lucario wondered. He had seen many books around the house before, yet none of them caught his attention. Though he remembered Chris had quite a collection of gaming magazines that begged him to see what other video games there were out there…

"Once you learn how to read by yourself, you'll find something good," Chris said. "Okay, the lesson has started. Try opening the book."

Lucario had no trouble opening the book. The cover's edge was longer than the pages, therefore, an easy spot for his big hands to work. His fingers, though, took him twenty pages ahead. He looked down and narrowed his eyes…

Dear goodness, those were a _lot_ of words. They were small and black, yet when grouped together, they looked like a foe Lucario would never dare challenge without prior knowledge. He was big, powerful, and extremely intimidating, and there he was cowering against something several millimeters big that laughed at how big he was. How that even made any sense, he thought.

"Uh, Lucario….are you sweating?"

Lucario gasped and quickly cleaned the small drops of sweat from his black outlines of his face.

"…Was opening the book really stressing?"

"N-no," Lucario muttered.

"…Alright…" Chris shrugged. "Hopefully, the amount of letters didn't scare you or anything, but that's kind of impossible to believe."

Lucario then realized, this teen did not need to have an ability to read minds or auras. He was a dangerous opponent. Lucario's face was his weapon. Irony was cruel today.

"Just to see if you can read a little, I want you to pick the beginning of this page right over here…" Chris pointed at the top of the page. "Here, start reading from this point. No matter what, read what you can pronounce."

"…"

Twenty seconds were enough to leave a big impression.

Lucario could read single letters just fine. He knew the alphabet, but he just didn't know the order of all the letters. Another fact was that Lucario didn't even know the ABC song for sure. Intently, Chris stared at Lucario's expression. He was struggling to say words that had more than one letter. Only "I"s and "A"s were read. The large text was largely ignored by his stressed eyes. It was a disaster, Lucario thought. He was greatly embarrassing himself.

It felt all the more embarrassing with a person who knew how to read looking at him.

"…" Chris was a bit speechless. "Uh, okay! There's no need to be embarrassed," he said. "You can at least spell single letters…"

Lucario hung down his head. "I'm a disaster…"

"N-no, you aren't," the teen said. "This is your first time. You will improve quickly… C'mon! Don't look so down…"

"…Fine," Lucario said. He put up a serious look. "Let us continue."

Chris smiled a bit. "I'm here to teach you how to read. Remember that," he said. "To make things go faster, I'm going to read the passage to you. What you're going to do is watch my finger hover each word as I say them," he explained. "Pay careful attention, though. Try to read in your mind as I pass over repeated words you heard me say before…you got all that?"

Lucario nodded. "I guess if you put it that way, it'll be easier for me," he commented.

The teen chuckled. "You'll see things aren't going to be as nasty as you think they are," he said, and then he put a finger on the start of the paragraph. "Ready? Here we go."

The Aura Pokémon found himself listening to the teen talking while the latter drew his finger over the syllables of the words he read aloud. Lucario's red eyes were narrowed, trying to find out what the pronunciation of the words. He sharpened his mind as much as he could.

Unfortunately, the many combinations of words confused him. When he remembered how to read "can", the word "couldn't" scrambled his thoughts and messed everything else he had recalled from muscle memory. The word "can" appeared many times over the text, but words that had the same starting letter were throwing him off.

Then Lucario let out a loud grunt.

Chris shuddered and looked up. "I-is something wrong?" he asked.

Snapping out from his intimidating noise, Lucario looked at Chris. "I…I'm okay," he said, calming down.

The teen looked concerned. "Look…" Lucario feared he was going to be lectured. "If there's something that's bothering you, you should speak up," Chris said. "You're very new to reading. It's understandable that you're getting very anxious…not to mention you're kind of quick to anger."

Lucario closed his eyes in shame. "It's the way I am… I'm so very sorry," he apologized.

Perhaps it was the ideal time to do it, Chris thought. After all, Lucario was a Pokémon.

Mustering up some courage, the teen stroke the Lucario's back. Startled, Lucario looked at the teen's arm moving up and down. The little massage on his furred back made Lucario feel awkward at first, but there was a soothing effect that made him forget about his stress. Smiling was very tempting, but he decided against it. He didn't want to give Chris the wrong, positive impression. "I know this is going to be the cheesiest thing I've ever said to you, but…I believe in you," Chris said, his hand still rubbing the towering Pokémon's back. "You can do this."

Inside Lucario's mind, there was a happy Riolu wagging his tail while sitting down. It was a representation of his subconscious submitting very easily to the massaging feeling on his back. The little Riolu raised his arms with glee, barking energetically. He wished to be groomed a little more. The Riolu had been there all this time. It was the enemy Lucario fought within his mind, even if the little Pokémon didn't mean any harm at all. That Riolu was oblivious to the severe implications that would be to accept Chris as something more than a friend, yet at the same time, the Riolu didn't have any memories of the past with another trainer. That alone was enough to make Lucario wary of him.

The only important thing was that the Riolu was getting a lot of attention. He enjoyed it very dearly. If only he could just jump at Chris and hu-

Feeling that it was enough, Chris pulled back his hand. Lucario didn't react angrily to it.

The Riolu trapped inside Lucario's mind looked sad as Lucario's conscience manifested as a tall Lucario looming over, looking down at the small Emanation Pokémon with a reprehensive look that hinted punishment. The Riolu felt guilty and cowered in fear.

"…I…I want to continue," Lucario said. His conscience was keeping his subconscious in check. He looked serious and nodded. "No matter how much you read, don't stop. I think I'm picking up a few words."

Chris forced a smile. "Okay, that's what I wanted to hear," he said before resuming reading.

Lucario didn't know that his conscience looked the other way from his subconscious. The Riolu leaned forward to look down in front of his legs, as if he had the green book of history. His tail wagged slowly, waiting for something exciting to happen.

Several minutes passed, and Lucario found himself not being able to keep his head at a fixed angle. He was getting bored. He wanted to sleep. Chris didn't stop talking. This was so boring, he thought. This was surely punishment for his reckless actions on Chris's controllers, he thought. He couldn't find out why it was so important to read if he couldn't manage to keep his eyes open.

Just a little shut eye… Lean your head forward and let your aura appendages rest against your back and shoulders…

"…And as ironic as it was, the Roman Empire…" Chris gazed up at Lucario. He fell asleep sometime during his lesson. He didn't want to wake Lucario up. "(Oh, he fell asleep…)"

There was a certain curious sight. Chris saw the Lucario was smiling. As his big chest puffed up with air, the Lucario was at peace. His eyes were softly shut. An air of tranquility was surrounding him.

"(…He kind of looks…cute,")" Chris thought, blinking and flashing a small smile. Carefully closing the book, the teen thought that Lucario deserved some rest… But then Chris committed a big mistake. His temptations won over, and now his hand was stroking Lucario's chin. The Aura Pokémon, however, did not react negatively. He growled within his mouth, but the sound sounded like he was pleasantly growling thankfully.

The Riolu inside his mind was at full throttle. Feeling very happy due to the stroking of the Lucario's chin, Riolu started running around, skipping happily over the cloudy mist. He rejoiced as he dove into a thick cloud of mist, falling on his body with a soft thud. Rolling around the misty atmosphere, the Riolu laughed. "More, more!" the Riolu shouted. "Don't stop!" He lay down on his belly, his tail wagging quickly to the sides.

Lucario growled as Chris continued rubbing his chin. The teen never told Lucario this, but he had a soft spot for cute creatures that weren't the usual animals found in his world. Lucario was obviously far from looking adorable, but his presence and overall attitude made Chris see a big Riolu who yearned for attention. That Riolu wanted a friend who could look after him…or rather, that Riolu was looking for a caring trainer. In turn, that Riolu would protect the trainer with his dear life and never leave his side.

The happy moment was short-lived once the Riolu yelled in a very happy tone, "I want you to be my trainer!"

"_**GUARGH!**_"

Chris had no time to react. Lucario snapped his eyes wide open and pushed the teen away to the other side of the couch with a swift hand motion. Panting heavily, the Lucario stood up at his full height and looked ticked off beyond words. When Chris rubbed his head and regained his senses, he gasped and backed off. The Lucario was looking sideways at him with a red eye that screamed absolute murder.

It was a very similar scene inside the enraged Lucario's mind. The Riolu sat down and covered his face, looking up at the same Lucario who was slowly approaching him with flaring fists of aura. His steps made the very mind shake violently, tumbling the helpless Riolu to the sides. The Riolu cried loudly as he begged him not to hurt him. The wild Lucario was enveloped in intense aura meant to kill instead of protect.

The Lucario in his mind was not the only one approaching his prey. The Lucario in the real world did the same, flaring up with thick cloud of aura that reached out for the ceiling and most of the living room. A small stomp of one foot caused the nearby furniture to shake slightly, even the heavy couch itself. Through cruel irony, the Riolu was Chris. The teen grabbed a nearby couch pillow and covered himself. Running away was not a wise idea. The Lucario could very possibly grab him before he could even scamper off. Chris's heart beat so fast that he swore he was going to get a heart attack. The heart attack would've been nicer to have instead of an extremely dangerous, super martial arts humanoid dog impaling one of his wrist spikes on his head.

Lucario stood next to Chris and hastily grabbed him by his shirt's neck, pulling him high above. The mighty Aura Pokémon pulled back a fist, and said fist looked like it was about to explode judging the aura surrounding it got awfully thick and big. Panting heavily, Lucario let out a terrifying growl.

His mind was clouded with rage. It told him to get rid of the human.

Crying was an option now.

"D-don't hurt me!" Chris cried.

The words resonated within Lucario, and the Aura Pokémon's intense aura dimmed down as he managed to get a hold of himself. As his shocked, wild eyes stared up at Chris, Lucario moved down his right fist as its aura disappeared in a flash. Horrified of who he was holding with the other hand, Lucario let go of Chris, and the teen fell back to the couch and grabbed his throat in pain.

The Riolu inside Lucario's mind went through the same. It was grabbing its neck, and it quickly ran away and hid within the mist, all the while exchanging nervous glances at the almighty Lucario staring his way.

Back on the real world, Lucario backed away in fear as Chris gazed at him with a nervous look. His aura emitted waves of fright and desperation. "W-what was that for?!" Chris cried. "I-i-is it prohibited territory to rub your chin a bit?!"

"I-I didn't want t-"

"SHUT UP!" Chris yelled, and he ran away to his room, slamming the door shut. As he did so, Lucario held out his hand, wanting to grab him in a less violent way. But Chris was gone, and an aura of sadness came out from the room behind its door almost immediately…

Lucario stared into empty space before he fell to his knees. He leaned down and supported himself with his hands, shaking his head with guilt weighting his back. When he looked to the left, he found the green book of history messily lying down on the floor. The pages didn't fall flat. A few had been folded over in a messy fashion. It fell down when he stood up for sure.

His ears could easily catch Chris's whimpers of fear. Lucario knew that it was his responsibility to patch things up, or else he was never going to feel fine. As he grunted to himself, he stood up and went after the teen's trail. When Lucario stood before the door, he tried to open it. It was closed on the other side. "What do you want?!" Chris cried.

Lucario held a grip on the doorknob. "I…I…"

"Say something!" the deranged teen cried.

"I-I want to apologize!" Lucario shouted. "I didn't want to hurt you!"

"H-how can I tell?!" Chris yelled. "You almost killed me over a very stupid thing! I just wanted you to enjoy your sleep, and this is how you repay me?!" He slammed his face into his pillow and muffled his cries. "You're insane!"

"I-I'm not, I swear!" Lucario yelled.

Somewhere along his fright, Lucario accidentally put too much pressure on the doorknob that he ended up pushing the locked door, completely tearing its nuts and bolts apart with his almighty strength. Gasping, Lucario put the door aside and entered the room without thinking that he had scared the teen even more. The Aura Pokémon knelt down beside the bed and saw Chris looking away. "Please, listen!" Lucario begged as he placed a hand on Chris's back.

It prompted Chris to scream.

Lucario recoiled and pulled back his hand. The teen was not available for any physical actions. "S-sorry!" Lucario said. "I'm not trying to hurt you!"

"You ripped my door apart!"

Ashamed, Lucario stole a glance from the broken door and looked back to the crying human. "I-I'm very sorry for that, too!" he apologized. "Please, just…just listen to me…" He was lowering the volume of his voice. "I didn't want to hurt you…"

Chris continued sobbing, not wanting to see the Lucario face-to-face. Lucario wasn't going to leave. He needed forgiveness so badly.

Seconds turned into minutes, and then minutes turned into hours. Neither of them wanted to move away. One wanted the other to go away, and that other wanted the first to forgive him. As four hours passed, it was now mid-afternoon. The two had skipped their meal for very good reasons. There was a nagging silence that unsettled them both. Lucario could still feel Chris's aura emitting waves of fear. Sadness was also there, and he wanted to change them both so badly. He was determined to do things right.

"…Are you still here?" a mildly composed Chris asked, his voice sounding angry.

"Yes," Lucario muttered.

"Are you waiting for an appropriate moment to grab me again?"

"No…" Lucario said ashamed. "I just…I just want you to…forgive me…"

"That's going to be really hard," Chris said. "I don't want to teach you _anything _after you nearly snapped out and tried to blow my head off. You're on your own. Go out to the world and get yourself hunted down by the people… There's no need for you to stay here any longe-"

"No!" Lucario shouted. Chris shuddered. "A-again, I'm very sorry…"

The teen grunted and turned around, giving Lucario a simple glare. Although the glare was pretty simple, it stabbed Lucario with a sharp dagger. "Saying sorry isn't enough!" Chris cried. His eyes were shedding tears. "Just teaching has the bad result of hurting me! How do you think I'm going to feel? You know how I feel, but I don't know how _you _feel exactly! What's your stupid problem?!"

Lucario looked away, his eyes looking guilty with worry. He debated if he should tell Chris that he feared to replace his trainer for him. "…I…I want to feel right at home…" Lucario muttered. "It's…it's my behavior that I need to work on…"

Chris turned away. "Oh, no kidding!" he said. "That sickening, unnerving glare of yours says a lot more than you think!"

"I…I guess it does…" the Aura Pokémon muttered in shame. "If…if you want, you could teach me how to…how to keep my rage under control…"

"…" Chris sobbed a bit and cleared his tears. He looked at Lucario over his right shoulder. "I don't have much confidence," he said. "B-but…but I want to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Lucario was given a chance. He needed not to screw it up.

The teen looked away. "Tell me why it was so wrong to rub your chin!" he demanded.

Lucario, startled, gasped and stuttered a bit. "T-there…there wasn't anything wrong with it," he admitted.

"Then why even snap out like that?!" Chris demanded louder. "You were smiling while you were sleeping! It just doesn't make any sense for you to get so angry and shake my house with your steps!"

Lucario could argue back that Chris didn't have any business to do that, but it was greatly discouraged to use that against him. He didn't want Chris to shut himself off. Yet, the Riolu in his subconscious enjoyed the feeling so much. "I…I know," Lucario muttered weakly.

"…In that case…" Chris turned around, looking hesitant, "…are you sure you won't snap out if I do it again? Do I have your word for it?"

The Aura Pokémon gasped. He looked away from the glaring brown eyes. "…Go ahead…"

Chris's shaking left hand slowly reached out for Lucario's chin. The Aura Pokémon looked sideways, and the teen pulled it back a bit. Lucario's eyes were heavily implying a feeling of worry, but it looked safe to proceed. Closing his eyes, Chris's fingers reached Lucario's chin and stroke it carefully and softly. The Aura Pokémon was looking down. "…S-so?" Chris asked. "Is something inside of you wanting to snap my neck in half?"

"N-no," Lucario said.

"Then let me in!" Chris shouted. "Tell me how you _really_ feel!"

The Riolu trapped in his subconscious raised his head from the thick mist, looking around in confusion. When it felt the wonderful feeling of being groomed, the Riolu stood up and smiled a bit. Skipping on its feet, the Riolu beamed with joy as a careful Lucario stood next to him, watching him raise his little arms to the air. Seeing the Riolu barking happily, the Lucario managed to smile a bit, and suddenly a happy expression took over. A peace of mind had been achieved. There was rage building up, but somehow, the happiness was overshadowing it to the point the rage was almost nonexistent.

Outside his mind, Lucario's lips were a straight vertical line. The line then curved its two ends up, much to the surprise of the teen. Still feeling unsure, Chris asked, "S-so?"

"…" Lucario's eyes closed, but his eyelids hinted a warm welcome. "It…it feels good," Lucario muttered. He didn't care if his head was making sure that it got a suitable spot for Chris's fingers to rub with care. "It feels really good."

Completely dumbfounded that the Lucario had become submissive, Chris continued stroking Lucario's chin. The Aura Pokémon moved his head to the sides, hoping Chris would strike a good spot.

"Please, don't stop," Lucario growled in pleasure, "it's so good."

But Chris stopped, pulling back his hand. Both the imaginary Riolu and Lucario blinked in shock.

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" Chris asked.

"W-what?" Lucario shook his head. "I-I'm not taking you for a fool! I-I was truly enjoying it!"

The teen cleared his tears and looked serious. "No… No way is this being this easy," he argued. "It does look like you're ashamed, but… I'm sorry, but this is just too much."

Lucario's ears slightly drooped to the sides. "Huh?"

The teen sat up and embraced his body, shivering a bit. "It's going to take some time until I'm sure you're not…lying to me," he said. Lucario's jaw fell in complete disbelief. "We're…we're holding up any lessons for a few days…"

"Why?" Lucario asked. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"It's punishment," Chris said simply. "It's punishment for nearly trying to beat me to death!" he cried. Lucario bowed down his head.

More than a week had passed ever since Lucario came to the real world. A long week of nothing then followed.

Though that week was full of complete dullness that reminded Lucario about his overly stupid threat, there were some changes that weren't unnoticed. Chris was hardly talking to him. His aura expelled waves of anger and shame during silence, two feelings that Lucario constantly found whenever he thought it was the right time to strike a conversation. Moreover, Chris never let him eat anything meat-related. Lucario had vague options. In fact, his breakfast routine was a box of cereal. The first two days, the cereal was good. The next five days, it became boring to even eat it.

Lucario never stopped taking his usual routines. He still took a bath and cleaned his fangs every day. He wanted to prove to Chris that he could do it. The Riolu in him was desperately trying to reach out for the teen. Just one remark, the Riolu would say. Just one remark is all I need from you. I can't take this anymore, he would cry as they saw the teen stubbornly fix the broken door all alone. Luckily, the damage done to the door wasn't as bad as Chris thought, so he managed to use the right tools to put it back together.

Morning and evenings were equally as punishing as any other thing. Chris forbade himself to greet Lucario with a "good morning", and he would just say "morning" instead. Lucario would get lucky if Chris said more than thirty words in a single day before they would go to sleep, at which time the teen would just say "night" to him. Lucario realized he was sitting down in a different position. With his frontal body, he faced Chris, and the teen faced away from him. Just seeing Chris look away reminded Lucario that he would never sleep feeling fine.

Much to Lucario's dismay, a few more days passed. He was going to lose it if Chris ignored him any longer, and just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore one fine Monday morning…

"We're resuming your reading lessons," Chris said without greeting him.

Lucario's tail wagged a bit. He was pleased.

…

"_Cons-ti-tu-tion,_" Lucario read dully.

"Good," Chris said. "Next words are 'is the most important set of rules that define our nation'."

"T-those are many words."

"Recall what I said syllable for syllable as I move my finger over each word."

"O-okay, but… Why?" Lucario asked, looking down at Chris. "Why do we have to be like this?"

"During all these days, I figured out that you're unsettled if I stand close to you," Chris pointed out. "So now, we're going to be sticking real close to each other without going too far with it. That feeling of unsettledness has got to go ASAP."

"B-but…you're practically sitting on my lap."

"I thought this was a thigh?"

Just like before, the two were sitting on the couch, or at least the bigger one was sitting there. The small teen was sitting on Lucario's right thigh as the latter held the book with both hands and Chris leaned back to his blue right arm, as if Chris was sitting on his father's lap. It wasn't the case, though. The stoic look the teen gave to the towering Pokémon meant serious business.

"This is very unsettling," Lucario commented. The Riolu in his mind was having a field day.

"Would you rather push me down?"

"N-no, I won't complain about it," Lucario quickly corrected.

"Good, now resume the reading."

Lucario gulped. He forgot the pronunciation already. Looking stressed, the Aura Pokémon tried his best to recall the words.

Suddenly, a hand was rubbing the top of his head with care. Shocked, he looked at Chris. He was forcing a small smile. "You can do it," Chris muttered. "I know you can."

The Riolu beamed with glee and tried to jump as high as he could. Outside his mind, Lucario felt Chris's aura transmitting waves of happiness. The Aura Pokémon blushed a bit, and he focused his eyes on the words. As he did so, he thought to himself, "(That aura of happiness is back at last… I can still do this right.)"

Lucario admitted that it was a very nice feeling being groomed by the teen. The aura of happiness that went all the way to Chris's hand calmly mixed up with Lucario's own aura, and the bountiful sense felt incredible and soothing. Lucario continued reading. His newly obtained optimistic attitude boosted his chances of reading by himself.

But still, the grooming couldn't just get out of his head. Chris would stop a few times, which greatly saddened Lucario, only for the first to rub his head once it was Lucario's turn to read. Subconsciously, the Riolu waited eagerly each time the teen would stop talking to pet him a little more. Lucario would also wait eagerly, his subconscious taking the better of him. Yet, this wasn't bad. It was a very good feeling. That was all that mattered.

His trainer would never find out, anyway…

Monday's night came, but it looked like the punishment continued due to the fact Lucario had eaten another boring bowl of cereal earlier that same day. But then, as he lied down on his bed, Chris turned to him and smiled. "Your punishment is over," he said. "Starting tomorrow, you won't be eating the same meals again. Also, you improved your reading a bit, but we're still going to be focusing on it for the next days until you get it right. Otherwise, you'll never enjoy the many things I want to teach you."

The statement was a good welcome, indeed. "Thank goodness," Lucario muttered. "This was just too much for me to handle…"

"Serves you right," Chris said, dropping the smile. "Whatever you're trying so hard to avoid, it's obvious you were snapping out for no good reason." Lucario was tempted to glare at Chris, but he didn't want to prove his point any further. "If you even _dare _do this again…it'll be far worse."

Mind reading was just as tempting, but Lucario held himself back. Chris was terrifying him.

Suddenly, Chris's hand rubbed Lucario's head. Getting a dreamy look, Lucario leaned to the bed and rested his head on his crossed arms. The teen's jaw fell a bit when the two were practically a feet or less away from each other's faces. Chris stopped and pulled his hand away. "You're…you're really getting into this being close to each other thing…"

"(…Aw, screw it,)" Lucario thought, giving up. He opened his eyes and looked away from Chris. The Aura Pokémon blushed as he asked, "…While I try to go to sleep…can you keep rubbing my head?"

"W-wha…?" Chris was astonished at the question.

Lucario blushed deeper. "It…it does feel really nice… I'm being honest," he admitted, hiding a smile behind his thick arms. "Your aura makes your hand soothe my own aura…and it puts me at ease…"

Chris grimaced. "Oh no, that better not mean you're falling in love with m-"

"NO!" Lucario shouted without moving. Chris blinked. "S-sorry, really… N-no, that doesn't mean that, I assure you…" He smiled again. "I just enjoy it very much…"

"…" Chris remained silent, but then he chuckled and rubbed the towering Lucario's head. "Good night, Lucario…"

"(He said good night! He did say good night!)" Lucario rejoiced. The firm bond had been restored. "Good night, Chris…" With a pleased growl, Lucario yawned and closed his eyes, letting the human rub his head. Soon, Lucario drifted off to sleep, and Chris then followed suit. The two were now sleeping, yet their sleeping faces were facing each other. At that very moment, Lucario would say that life was a nice…

…Unfortunately, not everything was right.

It turned out that Lucario's submissive behavior was a way for him to replace Chris for the image of his trainer doing the grooming and teaching. Through his eyes, Lucario saw Chris as his other trainer. Chris was not in the picture. Lucario's trainer was there instead. The Aura Pokémon was heading down through a treacherous path of lies that kept him sane. His consciousness was working on this very hard to hold on to the vague memories for dear life.

The Riolu could only look up at the Lucario and shake his head in shame. Things were not going to be okay. The consciousness that was a tall Lucario shooed the Riolu away. Whimpering, the Riolu stuck out his tongue and ran into the mist, promising to watch the Lucario very closely to convince him to stop lying to himself…

Chris was bound to suffer greatly if he ever found this out down the line.

* * *

_Just when things look very okay for the two, Lucario has to snap at the worst of times. It looks like things are going to be okay…or are they?_

_BTW, a lot of "official" artwork for the singular chapters has been released over my DeviantArt and Colors accounts. You can see them all by going there manually or clicking the links at the top of my page here._

_I encourage you all to review._


	9. A Hot Summer Day

_It's Summer Time! And I totally did not reference a FABULOUS character!_

_Also, to a certain reviewer, this story is not going a Yaoi one. Rest assured of that._

_I encourage Summer fanatics to read on, enjoy, and review._

* * *

**Chapter 9: A Hot Summer Day**

The scorching heat during Tuesday morning was heating the whole house.

Steel-types were never meant to be put under such a dreadful condition. Due to their crippling weakness against Fire-types, heat was not good for their overall health. Having steel body parts that were put under the sun's heat felt very nauseating, as the steel would heat up and continue to linger for even longer unlike normal skin. It was by no means very hurtful, but it was very annoying.

When Chris felt a small budging feeling, he opened his eyes and nearly had a heart attack when Lucario stared directly at him with wide eyes, all the while sweating like crazy. The spot where he was lying his head down on the bed was starting to get wet due to the sweat his body was put under the sun's rays. The Aura Pokémon had noticed too late that he was within the window's reach, therefore, the sun's rays were hitting him with full force. "Oh my…goodness!" Chris said, pushing himself up. "You're sweating!"

"Good morning…" Lucario muttered, his eyes looking up at Chris. "I know… I'm sorry to wake you up like this…"

The teen blinked. He could see how Lucario's body was drenched in his own sweat judging how he had turned slightly darker in color. The black markings of his body were devoid of wet fur, but it made the sweat very visible to the naked eye. "Uh, stand up!" Chris said, noticing the wet spot of sweat on his bed.

Lucario stood up fully, and he wanted to shake himself off so badly, but he didn't want to spread sweat all over the room. "I…" Lucario trailed off.

Chris looked up to him. "Oh dear god, you're really sweating a lot!" he said in shock. "Are you…ill or something?"

"No…" Lucario shook his head. "It's just… Us Steel-types aren't that great handling fire…and that includes the sun's heat…" He wiped his forehead, only for his arm to get more drenched in his own sweat. "The heat stays in our bodies far longer than any other Pokémon…and thus this is why we're not meant to stay under the sun for a long time…"

"And…you did stay under the sun," Chris said. Lucario closed his eyes in shame and nodded. "Oh… Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," Lucario reassured him. "The only problem is that…I'm sweating…against my will…"

Once Chris took a small sniff, he nearly lost his vision. Lucario was getting very stinky. "T-this isn't good," he said. "You really need to take a shower immediately…"

Lucario gulped and took a small sniff of his right armpit. "UGH!" he grunted with disgust, pulling his face away. He looked sideways at Chris with a worried look. "I don't want to take a hot shower this time… You understand, right?" he asked.

"Yes… Wait, don't you take hot showers, anyway?" Chris asked.

"You're surely thinking that my body gets too hot with hot water…" Lucario trailed off, facing his face down at the teen. "Look, it's really nice for me to take hot showers. It feels very refreshing to be within hot steam, unlike getting warmed up by the sun without my consent… And besides…I _stink_."

"True that…" Chris muttered. The smell was quickly spreading out from the Aura Pokémon. "G-go take a shower, quick!" Chris pleaded. "You're starting to smell!" Lucario blushed embarrassed and made his way out of the room. To Chris's dismay, he saw some glaring, wet paw-pad prints on the floor's mattress…and they followed the Lucario's direction. Worse yet, there was a large spot right where the towering Pokémon had been sitting on. "…Aww, sick!"

_A few minutes later…_

After having taken a very refreshing shower with warm water, Lucario was having breakfast with Chris. The breakfast of the day was a simple set of scrambled eggs with bacon. The bacon naturally died first before Lucario could even touch the eggs. "I think we should postpone your reading lessons for the day…"

"Why?"

"I think I haven't given you a day where you could rest and enjoy your time doing something really fun," Chris said as he held his fork with a pinched scramble egg close to his mouth. "I got really surprised that you can't handle the hot Summer's heat that good…"

Lucario sighed. "Today is feeling a bit too hot…" he muttered.

"So then…" Chris smiled a bit, "we're going to have to kick back and relax using the air conditioner and…the pool outside."

The Aura Pokémon stared at the teen. "There's a pool outside?" he asked. "I didn't see one before…"

"While you were taking a shower, I went outside to the yard's little storage to dig out my big pool set," Chris pointed out. "It's…not finished yet, so there's a little mess of tubes and other stuff out there…"

Lucario used his aura senses without having his eyes or his body glowing. He could see that there were some block-like tools over the grass outside the house. The aura that engulfed the tools gave them shape for him to tell that tubes were indeed in the yard. "I can see from here the tubes," he said.

"…Wow… You can?" Chris said a bit astonished. "Oh… It must be your aura ability… You know, one of these days, I wish you could tell me more about your aura senses…" He looked a bit excited. "The things I've been teaching you these days really don't compare to what you can do."

"Really?" Lucario asked, his eyes lessening his natural glare while his lips formed a small smile. "But I think your lessons are very enlightening."

The teen blushed a bit. "Oh, please… My lessons deal with mundane activities," he said. "If I were to guess, your side deals with the supernatural…" The two shared a small moment to chuckle together. Within Lucario's mind, the happy Riolu beamed with glee. He really enjoyed the small bonding moment, as he wagged his tail to the sides.

Luckily for Chris, Lucario didn't do a double-take to regret chuckling with him. There was progress there…

"So…will you be showing me your aura abilities someday?" Chris asked.

"I'll be very glad to show you," Lucario said. "Just…as soon as I learn how to use Aura Sphere…"

"…What?" Chris's smile faded away. "You don't know how to use Aura Sphere?"

"…No…" Lucario looked ashamed. "It's weird, though… I can use my aura ability superbly, yet I find myself unable to create a single small orb to defend myself…" He stared at Chris with a flat look. "I only know Force Palm, Double Team, Feint, and Extremespeed."

Chris didn't recall that he had given the Lucario those four moves. Then again, he didn't recall that this one could potentially destroy the house with one or two punches, and Chris didn't want to find out if Lucario could do that. "I…see…" Chris muttered.

"Feint seems pretty useless, so I'm going to forget that one over Aura Sphere," Lucario said. He looked back at Chris. "Oh… I should probably keep that idea to myself…"

The teen had to object to that thought. "Ooooh, no," Chris said. "Maybe…maybe I can train you."

Lucario's eyes widened. "…You? Training me?" he asked, bewildered at the suggestion.

Chris looked offended. "I-I can try to train you," he said. "I don't think it's THAT hard to train a Pokémon like you."

"But there are no Pokémon or places we can go," Lucario said. "…Unless you're trying to say that you're going to spar with me…"

"L-let me assure you that I'm not suicidal," Chris said with a deadpan look. "You really want to learn Aura Sphere soon. Let me give you a hand in there!" he said, looking worried. "Besides, there's a chance I might get to see a real life Aura Sphere before my own eyes! And since you're a very special Lucario… Think about the possibilities!"

Lucario thought hard about it for a moment. The Riolu inside his mind beamed with glee. The Aura Pokémon thought about the possibilities at hand. He smiled at the thought of being trained, but he wondered how Chris could do it. "…How would you train me?" Lucario asked.

"Well…" Chris trailed off. "I could…impose you some challenges to make you work out… Some challenges that will be up your level..."

"…Fair enough," Lucario said satisfied. "I'll look forward to the day we train together…" he wiped his forehead, "a day that isn't so hot out…"

The teen recalled the actual topic at hand. "Let's get finished with breakfast so that we can set up the pool," he said. "I also need to take a shower, too."

Lucario stared at him. "Wait… I'm going to set up the pool, too?" he asked.

"I think I lied a bit about not making you learn something new today," Chris said. "However, you're helping me out this time with my task. It'll be fun! I've never let you down!"

"I…guess so…" Lucario looked away.

"…Oh…" Chris could tell Lucario felt like he was the one who let him down a week ago. The teen recalled the vivid event a lot in his mind as some sort of warning not to get too carried away with his own actions. "…You've never let me down." Lucario looked in shock at him. "Don't think about it too hard! Whatever happened before…it never happened…and that's that."

"But…"

"No buts, either," he said, forcing a smile. "I'd rather have you talk to me than having to ignore you all day long. After all, you're the only person who gives me that desired company I…" Chris paused for a moment and shook his head. "I don't want to ignore you at all. You're very important to me…"

For a brief moment, Lucario sensed a sudden change in Chris's aura. His aura emitted emotional waves of loneliness and sadness, and it still emitted those waves after forcefully trying to be happy. There was even an inner struggle that told Lucario that the teen was trying so hard to cheer himself up, and the Aura Pokémon nearly pried into Chris's conflicted mind. Even the Riolu wanted to know what was troubling the human so much that he begged Lucario to go ahead and read his mind a little bit. Alas, Lucario held himself back…but it was very tempting.

"…You don't need to stare me for that long, though."

Lucario snapped out from his thoughts. "Oh, sorry," he said. He went back to eat his breakfast quietly, wishing that there was more bacon to eat.

"(He can read minds…)" Chris thought, looking away from Lucario. "(Oh no, please don't tell me he enters my mind when I'm not noticing. It might really put a stop to my desire to keep him around… No! I can't just do that to him! He's got a will of his own!)" The teen focused hard on his plate while arguing to himself about the possibility of keeping Lucario around.

After waiting for Chris to get out of the shower, the two walked outside where they were greeted by a mess of tubes and a long blue plastic pool waiting to get set up under the scorching heat. Lucario felt the heat, but unlike last time, he was ready to tolerate for the sake of today's task at hand. "I have bad news," Chris said. "I checked the forecast and it says we might have really hot days from now."

"Oh no," Lucario muttered. "The spot where I sleep is facing the window, and that's the direction where the sun rises…"

"I'll have some kind of solution after we have our little fun time with the pool," Chris said, cheering him up.

The Aura Pokémon then realized that the teen wanted him to enter the pool once it was finished. "I'm…entering the pool?" he asked.

"Yes," Chris said. "It's going to be fun and relaxing. Don't make that face! Like I said before, I never… I mean, my lessons always give you a lot of fun. Today is no different."

Lucario forced a smile until an instruction sheet blew over to his right leg. Noticing it, he picked it up and stared at it… His mortal enemies, the letters, were back to haunt him. He shrugged and gave the sheet to Chris. "Here," Lucario said.

"Well, I wasn't really planning in making you read this… Today is hot, after all," Chris said. "Let's begin setting the pool up."

Time passed as the two worked together to set up the pool. Lucario's large hands were not much of a hindrance as he thought, but he still listened to Chris's directions, grabbing tubes and joining them together. The hot sun's rays didn't annoy him until after ten minutes later. He wanted to rest and lean back on the yard's tree. Its shade looked pretty relaxing from the spot where he was. The yard had two trees: one on the upper left corner and another on the lower right corner. The one closest to him was the second one.

Noticing that Lucario was back to rubbing his forehead from sweat, Chris went over to him. "I think you need to relax a little earlier," he said.

"No, it's okay," Lucario said, staring down at him. "We're almost finished."

"It's okay. I can do the rest by myself," the teen reassured him. "Why don't you go sit down under the tree? I'll bring you lemonade."

Lucario didn't want to look like he was a lazy person who left things undone, but Chris's aura told him that the teen didn't care about that. He really was worried. Thanking destiny for having such a forgiving person by his side, Lucario forced a smile and went over to sit down under the tree's shade, staring at Chris going back to the house. The Aura Pokémon leaned his back against the bark and closed his eyes to relax.

The relaxing shade over his body brought him protection against the sun. He let the peaceful aura around his body consume him. The life in the earth felt like a sauna to him, and he was very thankful to be in such a good spot. He felt even more relaxed when a foreign body of aura approached him from the front and held out some sort of object to him. Whoever it was, the aura was so soothing and enjoyable.

"Uh…"

Lucario's aura senses were replaced by normal eyesight. The body of aura in front of him took shape in the form of Chris holding out a lemonade glass. The Aura Pokémon looked startled. "Oh… Thank you," Lucario muttered, grabbing the glass. While Chris flashed a small smile and went back to finish the pool by himself, Lucario stared his way for a while. "(How could I even think that his aura relaxes me?)" he thought conflicted. "(This never happened before… Why should it happen now? Maybe…maybe I'm over thinking this…)"

Lucario stared down at the glass with lemonade. He actually never had one before. Shrugging, he slowly chugged the liquid down his throat. It was a sweet sour flavor with a cold temperature mixed in. He pulled down his glass and let out a satisfied breath, smiling as the aftertaste filled his mouth. For a moment, Lucario thought that life was good here. If he could be given such a nice treatment by Chris, Lucario would definitely stay behind for as long as he wan-

He gasped to himself after thinking that. The Riolu in his mind, meanwhile, jumped around with joy. Lucario was losing the battle, and the Riolu knew well that his opponent wasn't entirely keeping up the idea of deluding himself with Chris being his other trainer. Delusion wasn't Lucario's strongest area. The Riolu embraced reality with open arms. Why couldn't Lucario embrace reality the same way?

As Lucario kept arguing to himself about what to do, he lost the track of time. He was so busy staring into space that he never saw Chris finishing the pool until he called him over. "Hey, it's done!" Chris said.

Lucario snapped out from his thoughts and stared at Chris. He didn't look like his trainer. Lucario's ears drooped a bit to the sides in shame, but the Riolu berated him for thinking that. Standing up, the Aura Pokémon went to the teen before looking at the pool.

It was a very wide and tall pool. It was approximately twenty feet of length and five feet of height. It was good enough to have multiple people in there, but with only the two of them there would be enough space.

The only problem was that the pool was empty of water. Lucario arrived just in time to see Chris turn on the water hose. "It's going to take quite some time before it fills up," Chris said. "For now, let's go back inside and wait for it to fill."

"Oh, I see," Lucario said. "Let's go back inside, then. I don't want to be under the sun for any longer." He noticed Chris was sweating.

"Yes, let's," Chris said nodding. "Look forward to the pool time! I'm going to go look for a beach ball we can use to play around."

Raising an eyebrow at the suggestion of using a ball, Lucario followed the teen into the house.

Two hours later of enjoying the air conditioner, the two came back out, seeing the pool filled with water almost to the border. The ray of the sun gave a reflection in it as some water ripples swung to the sides as calmly as possible. Looking to the teen, Lucario saw that Chris had taken off his shirt and changed to red shorts. He was even carrying a set of goggles to use underwater. Lucario, meanwhile, was carrying a large beach ball under his left arm that Chris had inflated.

Chris went to turn the water off, and then he went over to check the water's temperature with a hand. It was slightly warm. "It's ready!" he said before he climbed over a small staircase, jumping into the water right after. Lucario saw the teen rising back up, all wet with the refreshing water. Chuckling, Chris turned to face Lucario. "Come on! The water is really nice!"

Lucario smiled and deliberately jumped a good ten feet into the pool. Chris's smiling look was immediately replaced by a shocked one as the Steel-type fell inside, making a rather huge splash of water that pushed Chris back to the border. Regaining his balance, Chris looked forward to see where Lucario had landed… He was standing up, looking down at the water as he let go of the ball under his arm.

"G-geez," Chris muttered, getting Lucario's attention. "You also have crazy jumping skills?"

"That jump I did back there wasn't my highest jump," Lucario pointed out. "I can show you how big I can jump."

This was a Herculean Lucario. The mere thought that he could probably jump beyond fifty feet into the water made Chris shake his head. "N-no! No more jumps in the pool!" he said.

"I can probably jump over eighty feet, but…" Lucario sighed. Chris stared at him with a bewildered look. "Well… Now what?"

"Now what?" Chris wondered, floating to Lucario's side. "You need to stop standing up. It's clear the pool can't cover your whole body while you're like this."

Lucario looked at the water, and then he slowly sank down by sitting on his legs. He was now a head sticking out from the pool. He turned his face to Chris. "I guess the water feels nice," he said.

"You're reaaaaally tall," Chris said. Lucario preened a little. "Let your body float and try swimming around… You can swim, right?"

"I already come with that skill learned," Lucario said, and he let his body float up before he started to swim around at a slow pace. Chris couldn't stop looking at the fact that the Aura Pokémon's tail was sticking out from the water like a long flag. He started chuckling. "What?" Lucario asked.

"Oh, nothing… It's just your tail is sticking straight up," Chris pointed out, covering his mouth. "It's kind of a cute sight… I mean, it's a funny sight!"

Lucario stared at him before turning to his tail. He blushed slightly and tried to move it down a bit until it was almost barely brushing against the water while he continued swimming around Chris. "Does it look…embarrassing?" he asked.

"Oh no, no!" Chris said, now looking worried that he hurt the tall Pokémon's feelings. "It's just funny. I'm not going to make you never live it down. Don't worry about that."

The Aura Pokémon forced a small smile. He saw Chris putting the goggles on before diving underwater. Blinking, Lucario took a long breath of air and dove down.

The water inside the pool looked far brighter and mystifying. By default, Lucario could sense a lively aura from the body of water itself. Then he sensed Chris's aura. The teen looked shocked at him diving underwater, but then he shook his head and flashed a small smile. Lucario couldn't help but return the expression as well.

Chris was surprised that somebody as heavy as Lucario could float around just fine. Through his goggles, Chris saw Lucario's fur calmly floating to all sides while the four appendages on the back of his head trailed off behind. It was almost as if Lucario was shining with the sun. From afar, the yellow fur looked very pressed against his body, but there was a thick layer of it waiting to be rubbed. The teen didn't understand how that worked exactly. He shrugged the fact off and went over to swim next to Lucario.

Talking underwater was not a good option, so Lucario chose another route: telepathy. "(_It's very beautiful down here,_)" he told Chris.

Not used to have somebody talk to his mind, Chris gasped underwater and started inhaling water by accident. Shocked to see the amount of bubbles, Lucario gasped mentally and pulled the human from his arm back to the surface, almost out of instinct. Once Chris gasped for oxygen, he looked to Lucario. "H-holy hell!" he exclaimed, smacking his chest. "W-what was _that?!_"

"U-uh…" Lucario was ashamed that he had caused the event. "I-I used telepathy to talk to you underwater…"

Chris coughed. "T-telepathy?" he coughed out. "Y-you can use telepathy, too?"

"Yes, it's easy for me to do that due to my aura skill," Lucario said, his glare lessening into a worried look. "I…I'm sorry I nearly made you drown…"

"N-no…" Chris regained his composure. "I-it's really okay… I was just taken off-guard when I looked up at you and then you started talking without moving your mouth… Wait… I already expected your kind to do that after watching that movie…"

Lucario stared intently at Chris. "A movie?" he wondered.

"Oh, it's nothing you should concern yourself with for now," Chris said. But now Lucario wanted to see where the human got the notion of Lucario using telepathy. "But seriously… Telepathy? You impress me each day!" He smiled at Lucario, despite the fact his life could've been snuffed out. "Try to do that again!"

Lucario blinked in surprise at the eager request. Wanting to see Chris happy, the Aura Pokémon stared. "(_There… Can you hear me? You can talk back to me as long as I'm involved._)"

Chris's eyes widened after hearing Lucario's deep, gruff voice echoing inside his mind. "(_Oh my freaking holy goodness… Oh god… I can hear my own voice echoing!_)" he thought surprised. Lucario grinned a little bit. "(_T-this is amazing, Lucario! T-telepathy can really be done with you!_)"

"(_Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far,_)" Lucario thought, feeling proud of himself. "(_As long as you're within my a hundred mile radius, I can easily communicate with your mind through telepathy. It is a very handy skill._)" Lucario could sense Chris's aura radiating a feeling of utter excitement. Whatever shortcoming they had in the past was surely being repaired. The Riolu was very happy that the bond between the two was strengthening by this.

"You're really something!" Chris said through his mouth, abruptly ending the telepathy talk. "I really can't wait for you to show me the full extent of your aura abilities soon!"

The Aura Pokémon felt very proud to see Chris's eager excitement. Not even minding the fact that he was owned by another trainer, Lucario was put in a state where he didn't want to let the teen down no matter what happened. He truly wanted to show Chris his incredible abilities. Moreover…he wanted Chris to train him, as his subconscious – the Riolu – begged him to go ahead with it

"Soon enough, I'll show you everything I can do," Lucario said, absent mildly feeling a bit cocky. "You'll be very impressed with one such as I can do with aura alone."

Chris got a little closer to Lucario, his eyes beaming with glee. "You're a Herculean Lucario. Whatever you have in mind is surely going to blow mine away!" He shook his head and smiled a bit. "But for now, let's go back to diving underwater… It's really fun to talk using your telepathy skill."

"You won't get shocked if I use it underwater?" Lucario asked concerned.

"As long as you don't yell at me…" Chris took a long breath and dove inside the water. As an invitation for him to enter, Lucario did the same and entered the water.

The two looked at each other before looking around at the light of the sun piercing through the calm water. "(_I like how everything looks like down here,_)" Lucario said. "(_If you could sense the aura, it would be very radiant._)"

Chris was a bit hesitant to try talking through telepathy underwater, but he tried it again. "(_You're really getting me so anxious about your aura abilities,_)" he said. "(_Come on, let's go swim around._)"

The Aura Pokémon nodded and the two started swimming right next to each other, occasionally exchanging glances as they circled around the pool. Lucario then felt Chris's hand rubbing his wild fur's back. Using telepathy, he heard Chris chuckling.

"(_It's so messy!_)" Chris said before looking startled, forgetting that they were still using their minds to talk.

Lucario blushed a bit but composed himself to talk. "(_Careful… While we're using telepathy, any thoughts you're thinking will get immediately transferred over our link.)_"

"(_I-I see…_)" Chris pulled his hand back, looking a bit perplexed. "(_I wish I could rub it a little more…_)"

The Aura Pokémon nodded before grimacing at the realization. "(_Uh… I heard that…_)" Lucario was speechless right after.

"(_E-eep!_)" Chris yelped. "(_O-oh no, I can't really control this telepathy thing so well! T-this is so embarrassing!_)"

"(_I wonder who feels more embarrassed of the two. I mean, I kind of like being groomed like that on my back…_)" Lucario then got a look from Chris. He had been cornered at his own game. "(_…Damn it…_)"

Chris chuckled. "(_You can't even hold your thoughts back either!_)" he said.

Lucario's eyes looked away. "(_I-I was taken off-guard,_)" he said in his defense. "(_I forgot we're using telepathy…_)"

"(_You're really funny,_)" Chris said. "(_That's what I like about you._)"

"(…)" Lucario turned to Chris. "(_Did you…?_)"

The teen looked away, hiding a small smile. "(_I need to catch some more air…_)" He went back up before coming back down. "(_Sorry for that… I so casually let that slip._)"

"(_Huh,_)" Lucario muttered before going back to get some more air. He went back down and joined Chris's side. "(_Then we better not think other stuff that the other doesn't want to hear… You know… Let's stop using telepathy altogether while we're down here,_)" he suggested. Chris nodded in agreement. "(_The link shall be severed…now._)"

"(…Can you hear me?)" Chris thought. Lucario stared at him. "(…You're very fluffy!)" he suddenly thought to get his attention, but Lucario looked away with a smile. "(Okay, he does not smile like if I told him that… I guess I'm safe.)" He calmly swam around with Lucario.

"(I really am warming up to him even more,)" Lucario thought. "(But…but this is wrong…)" The Riolu pouted angrily at him. "(I want to delude myself until I can reunite with my trainer…yet my subconscious wants me to…)" The Riolu barked. "(…I…I do enjoy being around Chris, but…but…)"

It was then that Lucario felt a hand rubbing one of his four appendages on the back of his head. Without looking startled, he saw Chris playing with one until he looked shocked at the towering Pokémon and pulled back his hand. "(S-stop doing that!)" Chris told himself. "(You're getting carried away! He's not going to be your Pokémon as long as you keep doing this out of the blue!)"

Lucario suddenly picked up an aura of loneliness. "(I wonder why he's showing that emotion now…)" he thought. "(…Maybe he really is lonely…)" He went back up to the surface, standing up.

The Aura Pokémon stopped to think about the aura he picked up. Further examining it, the intensity of the lonely emotion ran far deeper into Chris's soul than he thought. He didn't want to read Chris's mind and find out the source of the emotion. It was considered as rude of him to go that far. However, Lucario had formed a bond with the human. That bond tied Chris's aura to him, and the nagging sense of feeling a negative aura bothered Lucario a lot.

At the same time, the emotion of solitude was the hardest aura he could try to repair using mundane methods that meant a lot to others. The mundane methods weren't even unimportant to him, but he feared that the solution for fixing the lonely aura was to sacrifice himself by not ever leaving Chris's side. That was very hard, he thought. It meant that he needed to stay by the human's side for a very long period of time till that aura went away.

Yet he knew that the feeling of solitude would immediately come back to haunt Chris the moment Lucario were to leave forever. The Riolu nagged at him to accept Chris as his true train-

Chris suddenly rose back up to catch some air before looking up at Lucario. "Did you get bored already?" he asked, his aura transmitting concern.

"Oh…" Lucario snapped out from his thoughts. "No, I'm just getting some air, that's all."

"I see… I thought you were thinking about something else because you're standing up," Chris pointed out. He really didn't need to read minds. "Eh, I'm probably thinking other stuff…" He forced a smile as he picked the floating beach ball. "Do you want to play with me?"

Lucario stared at the large beach ball. "How?" he asked.

"Let's hit the ball back and forth from each side of the pool," Chris said, swimming back to the corner of the pool. Lucario looked over his shoulder and walked to the opposite corner, calmly sinking back. He turned around and nodded at Chris, unsure if this was going to distract his conflicting thoughts.

It turned out his mind was distracted before long.

A few laughs were had as a beach ball soar the air above the pool. Keeping his incredible strength in check, Lucario's full attention was on the ball as he calmly hit it back using a palm. Seeing Chris's happy expression, the aura of loneliness had left him. It was a good feeling for Lucario to see the human beaming with glee once more. Without thinking, the beach ball flew a little further back, making Lucario gasp as he pulled back. The ball ended up getting caught right between his forehead and ears, causing Chris to laugh.

Lucario returned the expression and picked the ball from his head. And thus, the afternoon went by…

The Aura Pokémon feared that he was going to sweat like crazy the next hot morning, but Chris had found a solution. He closed the window with the blue curtains, and he also turned on the air conditioner. The room was now cool enough to refresh the two. The relaxed expression on Lucario's face meant that success has been obtained.

"It feels so nice in here," Lucario said, sitting down and facing the bed. "I won't have to worry about sweating all over."

Chris chuckled heartily. "We can go back to have fun in the water tomorrow if you want," he said.

"Thanks, but I'll rather have you teach me something else," Lucario said, lying his head and arms down on the side of the bed. Chris had fortunately cleaned the rather embarrassing wet spot of sweat by now. The spot Lucario lied down on smelled fresh. "What else do you have in mind?"

"I think we're going to spend a lot of time trying to make you learn how to read," Chris said. The Aura Pokémon groaned loudly in his mind. "After you learn how to read, a lot of things are going to open up to you."

Suddenly, Lucario really wanted to learn how to read so desperately. "If you put it that way…" he muttered, smiling a bit.

"…What do you mean, if I put it that way?" Chris asked, looking suspicious.

Lucario looked hesitant. "N-nothing," he said.

"…Oh well, whatever floats your boat," Chris said as he lied down on his bed, ignoring the confused look Lucario gave him after hearing the weird-sounding expression. The teen chuckled and smiled warmly at his guest. "Well, good night, Lucario."

"No, wait," Lucario stopped Chris from closing his eyes. "I… Uh… Can you…rub my head again while I try to sleep?"

The teen was surprised to hear the odd request again. "Again?" he said.

"I…" Lucario looked away, hiding a small smile behind his arms. "I really do like it…"

"…You're funny," Chris said, his hand now rubbing Lucario's head with care. The Aura Pokémon growled silently. "I think I said that before."

He was enjoying it too much. The Aura Pokémon, however, chuckled against stopping his fun time. "Maybe I like being funny," Lucario muttered, pleased as he let the human groom him as he went to sleep. "(Oh yes, I can get used to this for as long as I want…) Good night…Chris…"

The Riolu inside Lucario's mind, meanwhile, wagged his little tail to the sides as he lied down on the cloudy mist and yawned with a high-pitched growl. He curled up into a ball and fell asleep with a small smile. The next day was sure to be filled with lots of fun, he said.

…

Maybe he could coax Lucario to hug the human, and probably even nudge his face with his muzzle. Riolu felt fuzzy and happy just thinking about doing it. Before long, everyone fell asleep. Tomorrow was sure to be enjoyable…

* * *

_Wait till you see the next chapter. There are more surprised to be had…_

_It seems my art has evolved with the latest piece of artwork. Maybe I'm thinking of going the extra mile and use Flipnote Hatena to make some…"episodes"…_

_Please do review. :)_


	10. A Movie Night

_I felt like I dodged a big opportunity when I simply skipped the part of these two watching a movie together. So, here's a nice replacement that fulfills that missed chance._

**_From now on, the newly-introduced chapters shall be given short summaries in the main summary of the story. At the end of the story, the summary will regain its permanent description._**

_I encourage all movie fanatics to read on, enjoy, and review._

* * *

**Chapter 10: A Movie Night**

The hot summer season was still at large, Lucario could tell once he woke up to feel the room's temperature. Luckily, the air conditioner made the room feel refreshing instead of unnecessarily warm. Thus, he managed to avoid sweating so much and, even better, stink. He didn't want to look so ridiculous in front of the only person who was taking care of him day by day.

Shrugging at the thought of sweat, Lucario focused on the teen lying down on the bed. He was sleeping still, but Lucario wanted to see what else he would learn. Unfortunately, he had a guess: reading. If he read another book, he was going to fall asleep. He briefly thought that letters shouldn't have been made in the first place. He also thought that talking was just enough, but apparently reading was a dire life skill. The Riolu inside of him pouted at him, feeling that he should suck it up.

Chris's yawn snapped Lucario out of his thoughts. "Good morning…" Chris muttered.

"Good morning," Lucario said, flashing a small smile. "I didn't wake up sweating this time. Thank you."

"Oh, I see…" Chris said, glad that he wasn't going to clean a sweating spot on the floor again. "That takes care of it."

Lucario nodded. "So after breakfast, what are we going to do?" he asked, sounding a bit eager. The teen could tell that the aura wielder was slowly defrosting his supposed cold indifference.

"You're going back to reading, of course." Lucario groaned mentally while in the outside he simply stared at Chris with a small hint of disbelief. "Like I told you before, you need to learn how to read to enjoy the rest of the lessons I have in mind…"

Shaking the thought that Chris was secretly torturing him for the unfortunate event days ago, Lucario nodded. Though he did recall that he was convinced to learn how to read, Lucario's conviction was fading away. "I hope I can get the hang of it soon," he muttered, sounding a tad depressed.

"It's…proving to be a difficult lesson for you," Chris began, "but with some dedication, you'll learn very soon. You can do it."

Lucario looked at Chris and smiled. "Thank you for your support," he said. The teen chuckled heartily, and the Riolu beamed with glee. "I'm kind of getting used to having fun instead of training…but it's not like I don't want to train soon."

"Oh, I'll try training you soon enough," Chris said. "I really look forward to that day. For now, you're going back to reading."

The day was not going to be good.

Before he knew it, the day went by to Lucario as he struggled to fend off thousands of letters laughing at his face. He was told by Chris to read the same book he started off with. Because he frequently kept forgetting the pronunciation of certain words, Lucario could only growl in defiance. Chris felt so sorry for him that he helped the big Anubis-like Pokémon read correctly. The end result was Lucario falling asleep and resting his face on Chris's head. Both got startled and immediately regained their focus on the book.

It was getting late now. It was early night, and Lucario started to show promise of being a newbie reader. All that mattered to him was to finish the dreadful book and get to the good stuff, whatever it was. The teen didn't let him down with his interesting lessons so Lucario was excited all the same; excited about tossing the book far away from his sight.

The two were sitting down on the couch of the living room. As Lucario closed the book, Chris said, "Good job, Lucario! You've gotten a little farther into reading!"

Lucario preened a bit. "The words don't seem to laugh at my face," he said, to which Chris gave him a weird look. "Uh, I mean, they're not so hard to read anymore."

"Okay… Your weird imagination aside, I think you deserve a gift to reward your efforts."

This took the tall Aura Pokémon by surprise. A gift? What would Chris give to him? The closest thing that Lucario thought was a heavy dumbbell, but it didn't seem true. "A gift?" Lucario wondered.

"Yes," Chris said, smiling up at him. "It's related to the TV, except even better…I think." He stood up and walked back to his room. "Wait right there for a bit."

Lucario stared at the teen until he disappeared from sight. Blinking, he faced forward and noticed the widescreen TV sitting directly in front of the couch. He had seen some TV programs before. But what else was there for him to see? Before, he would mindlessly switch channels to find something interesting. If he knew how to read, he would have certainly found something good, but this wasn't the case. When he realized that he could read a bit, Lucario thought that he would read descriptions better.

Reading was really a necessary skill after all, he thought.

As he stared at his reflection on the TV, Chris came back, carrying a small box. The Lucario looked at him and then at the box.

…Wait, that character on the box wasn't…

Lucario's eyes widened. On the box Chris had brought, there was a fierce-looking Lucario about to use an Aura Sphere, as a wide assortment of characters surrounded it. He could spy a Pikachu and some kid, for example, along with some others he didn't know about. "That's…a Lucario," Lucario said. On the box's cover, he could read, "Lucario & the Mystery of Mew."

"I think it's about time you get to see a movie," Chris said, smiling a bit. "Let this be your reward for working so hard in your lessons."

The Aura Pokémon wasn't very familiar with movies. He was a little familiar with TV programs, but a movie was a bit unheard of to him. The fact the first movie he was going to watch had a Lucario in it really piqued his interest even more. "Are we going to watch it?"

"Yes," Chris said. "It's really going to be so exciting!" There was a positive change in his aura that Lucario sensed right away. It was overflowing with happiness. "I mean, getting a real Pokémon like you watch one of your own through this way… I can hardly believe that this is happening!"

"Uh…" Lucario stared at the teen for a long time.

Chris blinked. "What?"

"It's just… Your aura was radiating such positive waves that I got surprised after sensing them…"

"…" The teen blushed. "U-um, I see…" he sheepishly said. "(I guess I got a bit too carried away with the idea of showing him this particular movie… How embarrassing…)"

Lucario looked back at the box. "…So, are we watching that now?" he asked. "I want to see another Lucario. I hardly got to see any back in my home…" He wasn't too sure about any memories he had of his world. Lucario blamed himself that his memories of the past were a mystery to him.

In fact, his memories of his trainer were not even there. This shocked him a lot. The Riolu in his mind had a feeling that Lucario had no life before he was pulled out from the video game through a twisted play of fate, but the Aura Pokémon knew full well that, as a Pokémon, his destiny was to go back to Sinnoh and reunite with his trainer.

The trainer he vaguely knew.

Hearing something open outside his train of thoughts, Lucario blinked and saw Chris crouching down in front of the TV, inserting a disc into a machine. Pressing Play, the teen chuckled and went over to sit next to Lucario, grabbing a nearby controller to turn the TV back to life. "I hope you like this movie," Chris said. He gasped and then stood up as the movie started. "Oh, that reminds me… I purposely didn't say what we were going to eat to make this look like a surprise. I'm going to feed you…I mean, hand you over some new food." He walked off to the kitchen, turning the lights off so that the TV's light shone on the furniture.

Lucario was a bit amazed that he was doing this. Here he was, a serious Pokémon doing a mundane activity that proved to be entertaining. Truly, Pokémon like him were missing a lot, but he wondered if there were others like him that could do the same things he did. His Herculean strength was surely not shared among others, but could they hold forks and eat human food just fine? Chris had said he was special in many ways…

"**Pi-ka!**"

Startled by the noise, Lucario saw an image of a Pikachu on the TV. For a moment, he thought one was somewhere in the house. Soon, the movie started…

There was a raging war between two armies. And from far away, a figure was jumping from boulder to boulder. It was the Lucario he had seen. Blinking at seeing another one of his species, the Lucario in the real world leaned forward for a bit. He saw the Lucario use his aura to examine the landscape, which was covered in a thick dust cloud that prevented normal sight to see through. The Lucario picked up a massive amount of auras: two warring armies fighting each other.

Stopping, the Lucario went over to a crystal. He placed a hand on it to communicate to somebody; someone named Sir Aaron in a far away castle. The man wearing some particular clothes talked to him before he went over to climb a Pidgeot, trying to go fly over to the battlefield to prevent damage to the sacred tree far away.

Lucario saw his fellow individual being attacked by three Houndoom. After trying to lose them, the Lucario found himself cornered, but then he formed a blue sphere with a single palm, firing off an Aura Sphere.

"That was…an Aura Sphere," Lucario breathed out, seeing the Lucario shooting an Aura Sphere to each Houndoom standing to his sides. Seeing the other Lucario use the signature move, Lucario felt undermined; jealous, even, to see another one like himself pull out the move without much trouble. He clenched his hands, but his full attention was drawn to the TV again.

Lucario saw Sir Aaron being ambushed by Skarmory. After trying to fend them off, the young man leapt down to find the other Lucario. The man told his loyal partner that he alone needed to go to the tree, but the other Lucario protested to go with him. The Lucario in the real world widened his eyes as he saw the man toss his scepter right in front of the other Aura Pokémon, capturing his very soul and body inside the sphere on top of the scepter.

From there, a Ho-oh Lucario had seen went to the tree, where it transformed into Mew, revealing its true form. The tree then began to glow brightly in a green light that spread out to the who-

"I brought you some soda and popcorn!"

Lucario shook his head, startled, and looked to his left. He saw an optimistic Chris holding two glasses with soda with his hands and a large bucket that contained some sort of puffy-looking things that fell down to the sides. Lucario looked back at the movie before Chris carefully put a glass in front of him. "U-um, for me?" Lucario asked. He was completely drawn to the movie to care about anything else. Realizing this, he gasped and took the glass without a second thought.

Then he realized that he had never drunk soda before. Distracted by the glass of soda in his hand, Lucario looked at Chris sitting next to him, putting the bucket between them. "I've never given you soda before," Chris pointed out. "I hope Pokémon don't get sick drinking it…"

Ignoring a woman reading a story to her daughter in the movie, Lucario stared at the dark brown liquid inside the glass that felt small in his large hand. He could spot bubbles surfacing on top, and he for a moment thought that the beverage was poison. He was a Steel-type, so poison was useless against him. Even then, Chris would never poison him. There was no malice whatsoever in his aura. Shrugging, Lucario carefully took a sip.

His eyes widened a bit, and Chris wasn't looking at the movie to see his reaction just to be sure that he hadn't committed a mistake.

"…How is it?" Chris asked, as the movie started to display its title.

Lucario moved his head down and sighed silently. "It's…very good," he said, a small smile forming on his lips. He quickly licked them. "This is really good."

Chris looked happy. "Oh, I'm so glad it did," he said. "Don't worry about drinking too much. There's a lot of soda in the fridge, not to mention the popcorn."

"Popcorn?" Lucario looked back at the bucket sitting between them. He smelled a faint butter flavor that he was not very familiar with. The movie was now showing a group of four characters and a Pikachu walking through the large bridge that led to the town that was connected to the castle.

The young teen picked three pieces of popcorn and ate them. "Go ahead!" he said. "If you liked the soda, you'll like this as well."

Lucario thought that he was energized just drinking the soda, and then he thought that Chris was possibly training him by giving him food. Looking optimistic himself, Lucario grabbed quite a handful of popcorn with a free hand and tried his best to eat it all in one go. He failed miserably since half of it fell to his sides.

As for the popcorn that did get in, he munched it. The popcorn gave away easily to his fangs, and he could hear some small, squeaky noises as he crunched them. The butter calmly spread to his tongue, where he tasted a nice flavor. It wasn't as plentiful as the steaks he had eaten, but it wasn't so bad. "Hmm, it's good," Lucario said, nodding to Chris.

"Sweet," Chris said, looking a bit dismayed at the popcorn on Lucario's lap. "But…be careful not to make a mess with it. Don't try to grab too much popcorn."

Embarrassed that there was a mess of popcorn on his lap, Lucario blushed a bit and stared down at the mess. Thinking that it would look unsanitary to just put the popcorn back to the bucket, Lucario shyly took each piece and eat it. When he noticed that Chris was looking at him, he blinked, and Chris then chuckled. While Lucario chuckled back, the Riolu in his mind laughed. After teaching him how to eat and drink while watching the movie, the two resumed watching.

A little time later after watching the introductory scene, Lucario was curious about the trainer and his Pikachu that were shown prominently in the movie. "Chris, I don't want to lose time asking this, but…"

Chris knew that Lucario would ask questions during the movie, so he used the control to pause it. Lucario felt thankful that there was such an option to pause the movie itself. "Yes?" Chris said.

"Why are the kid and the Pikachu shown a lot?"

"Oh, you mean Ash and Pikachu…" Chris nodded. "Well, you see, I don't believe you haven't seen the anime series for Pokémon, right?"

Lucario was confused about the statement. "Anime…series?"

"You know, the stuff with pure action you saw on TV on occasion," the teen pointed out. "There's a whole program for Pokémon where these two in the movie are the main characters."

"I see…" Lucario made a mental note about searching for the program.

"Except, well, Ash is kind of like the face of the anime. He will never, EVER leave the position. He's been through three different regions," Chris explained. "It's been like seven or so years ever since Pokémon came to be what it is today. And his Pikachu, who refuses to evolve, is pretty much the main mascot of the whole franchise. When I say franchise, I mean Pokémon."

The Aura Pokémon grimaced, his hand lifelessly putting popcorn in his mouth. Chris miraculously ignored how he had turned into a TV of sorts. "His Pikachu refuses to evolve?" Lucario questioned. "That's…a bit ridiculous. He basically does not want to get stronger. Surely, though, this Ash person wants to get powerful Pokémon like all other trainers, right?"

Chris made a face.

"…Unbelievable," Lucario muttered. "I can't believe a trainer doesn't want to evolve their Pokémon… At least he evolves his other Pokémon, right?"

Chris hung his head down a bit.

"…I…feel so much pity for him," Lucario said. "…Well, since he is the face of…the anime, I think, that means he's at least a competent trainer who wins the leagues he participates, right?"

Chris chuckled nervously.

"…" The Aura Pokémon was wondering why this Ash was even so important to care about. "…Why do people even like him?"

"No idea," Chris admitted. "And me? I just don't have anything else to watch Saturday mornings other than the anime… In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the program got high ratings just because the programming block sucks compared to the decency the anime has compared to all of them, which the anime just barely holds up to everything else."

Lucario stared at Chris. "Why would _you _put yourself through that?"

"Blame the fact I'm blissfully wishing that Ash gets to win a league at last," Chris explained. "But I don't think the people that make the anime would make him suck so bad for the Hoenn region or the Sinnoh region. If he doesn't win any of those two, then…I will completely lose hope and ignore whatever else they come up with. I just can't stand supporting such a loser while I can clear said leagues very easily like any other guy… Of course, I only play the games, but still…"

"That is…such a dramatic way to put it, I admit," Lucario said, drinking his soda.

"Indeed. That answers your question?" Lucario nodded. "Okay, then let's go back to watch the movie. At least it won't suck." Lucario nodded once more and the movie resumed.

The two watched a ball commencing after seeing Ash hear a mysterious voice coming out from somewhere. Lucario could tell it came from the scepter, which was the same scepter that held the other Lucario. Later on, the characters' Pokémon snuck out to the attic to do their own stuff. As the ball continued, Ash was prohibited to eat food because it would not be something a hero would do.

"Oh, please," Lucario said, rolling his eyes. "A hero is not allowed to eat food. It's like they want him to starve."

Chris stifled a small chuckle. "I-I guess you could put it that way…" The teen was amazed that Lucario could comment on those small, harmless moments with so much snarkyness to back it up. There was more to Lucario than met the eye, Chris thought.

The time passed as the duo watched the events unfold. Lucario got a bit depressed that he had finished his soda already, but there was a lot of popcorn left. Chris offered to go get him some more, and Lucario nodded in appreciation, handing his empty glass to the teen. Once Chris came back with a cold soda drink, he arrived just in time to see Ash stand up to do the hero's pose like in the big picturesque wall next to him.

Suddenly, the scepter reacted violently, and a light shot out to the other side of the room to reveal that the Lucario had been released. Lucario blinked once he saw the other Lucario using his aura ability to sense the surrounding areas. He then focused on Ash's aura, which was apparently the same wavelength as Aaron's aura.

Lucario had learned through watching that a specific button on the control would stop the movie. When he looked down at it, he found the word "pause" under a button, and he pressed it. For a brief moment, he relished that his reading skill allowed him to complete a task by himself without Chris's aid. He felt proud. "Why did you stop the movie?" Chris asked. "…Oh, wait, you stopped it by yourself without explanations? You're learning fast!"

The Aura Pokémon looked proud, but he thought that he could pause the movie to ask questions so that he wouldn't interrupt with his voice. With that in mind, he felt thankful. "I wanted to point out that aura does not work that way," Lucario said, looking a bit upset.

"What?"

"That Lucario… He just said that Ash's aura was the same as Sir Aaron's," Lucario said. He shook his head as he said, "The aura for each individual is different, but at times it can be similar. Yet, he claims those two have the same aura."

"I…see…" Chris trailed off, confused a bit. But Lucario moved on with his explanation.

"Of course, auras can be passed down to others in a family," Lucario said. "The child of a parent may have almost the same aura wavelength, but not completely the same. As a Lucario, though, I can easily discern what auras are brought about by their origin… So, if you were to put me in the middle of a crowd, I would tell you which auras came from other people in my range."

Chris was still confused, but he listened intently. "Uh, wow, that's incredible," he said.

"…" Lucario looked back at the TV. "However, I don't really believe how there can be two same auras… Even if there were two clones, both wouldn't have the same auras…"

The teen wanted to find some answer for the Pokémon's doubt. "…Maybe reincarnation happened?"

"…I don't believe too much in reincarnation myself…" Lucario shook his head. "Um, maybe I'm being too nitpicky about this… Oh well, let's continue watching the movie. Maybe there's a believable explanation."

At this, Chris sighed and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if Ash was once again the hero of a prophecy for the umpteenth time."

"…Fiction can be so illogical, so…" Lucario sighed. "What a cheap way of explaining things… Is this what my expertise has become? A mere thing that has some unbelievable explanations that makes no sense whatsoever?"

Chris patted the Lucario's back. "Believe me. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

"…"

"Which I mean that this is just the beginning."

"Oh, Arceus…" Lucario didn't know what button to press to resume the movie. After a moment of silence, Chris pressed Play. Lucario mentally remembered which button that was, said button not having the word Play. The Pokémon thought the controller was also being cheap to him.

The duo came to the scene where the confused Lucario ran outside to examine his new surroundings. He camr upon a hall where he was confronted by the others about his doubts. Case in point, it ended with the Lucario being hugged by the princess. Then, the movie paused thanks to Chris, keeping the shot of the Lucario looking away in complete and utter shock. "I wonder if you'd react just like that if a girl were to hug you," Chris wondered with a sly smile.

"I would probably end up stabbing her with my chest spike," Lucario said, looking at his chest spike, "and possibly kill her."

"…Way to kill the mood…instead."

Lucario closed his eyes. "Hugging me…is out of the question," he simply said, and the movie resumed.

Luckily, it turned out that Ash had a similar aura pattern like Aaron.

"Oh, thank goodness," Lucario said without pausing the movie. "I lost faith in this for a moment."

Then, shortly, the group was informed by Max about a sudden attack in the attic that deprived Pikachu (and an annoying Meowth as Lucario thought) from the castle due to Mew's appearance taking them both far away to the Tree of World's Beginning. To further explain the events, the one who owned the Weavile that attacked them, a woman named Kid, added up the case with her explanations.

"…Wait," Lucario paused the movie and looked at Chris, "she caused the whole problem with her Weavile in the first place and yet she doesn't mention that?"

"Here's a spoiler…" Chris trailed off. "She never does bring that up."

"…All for the sake of looking good," Lucario said, frowning. "I hope that Lucario picks a negative wave from her."

"He pretty much seems to dislike everyone."

"Just my luck…"

During the night, the Lucario entered an unlit ball room where he stared at some tapestries of Sir Aaron. He suddenly jumped to the wall to hide from a presence. Ash then came into the hall before the Lucario pinned him down. After Ash complained to him, the Lucario got off and explained to him that he was upset about Sir Aaron leaving him behind without any reason.

"…" Lucario could feel a little bit of empathy, relating how he himself got into a similar situation. He sighed mentally as he glanced at Chris for a little while. But he was actually enjoying his time in the real world along with Chris's company, not unlike the other Lucario. There was a difference between the two of them beyond their physical attributes.

A small while later, the duo watched the team going to the tree to find Pikachu. During their trip, they took a break to eat lunch while the Lucario sat on a boulder away from them, eating some nearby berries. The movie paused thanks to Chris. "I'm so glad that you're not like him," Chris said. "I really like how social you are when you're not angry."

Lucario smiled a bit. "Thanks," he said. The movie resumed, though the Riolu rejoiced how Lucario felt about the little remark.

They saw the team stopping in front of an area full of geysers and steaming water. Wanting to have fun, they went there to relax a little more before reaching the tree. Lucario watched as the other Lucario had a vivid memory of Sir Aaron and himself enjoying a break at the hot springs too. Suddenly, the memory was interrupted by Ash telling the Lucario to join them, but he responded by scoffing and walking away from the group.

"He really is missing a lot," Lucario said without stopping the movie, drinking from his soda and eating popcorn. "Has he ever taken a bath, I wonder? It feels just like that."

"Yes, he's missing a lot," Chris said, smiling at Lucario. "And you're getting into a lot of stuff later on as the days pass."

The Aura Pokémon felt excited about what other things there were for him to learn. Surely, the other Lucario was never going to get the chance.

The two watched the movie. During another night, Ash said to the group that tomorrow was going to be the day he'd get Pikachu back, to which the Lucario commented that he should just leave Pikachu since he is somehow related to Sir Aaron. Angered by this, Ash tackled Lucario down to a hill and into a pond where the two started fighting each other. After a struggle, the Lucario walked off, saying that people are just as cruel as ever.

Lucario paused the movie, recalling back how he almost hurt – and possibly killed – Chris several days ago. He grunted, frowning at the memory. "After seeing that scene…it made me think about…"

Chris had a nagging feeling that told him that Lucario was thinking about the frightful event. "Please… Don't let it trouble you any longer," Chris said, sounding worried. "It's already a thing of the past. The two of us got better in the end."

"…" Lucario stared worried at Chris. "You truly don't feel scared of me anymore?"

"…A…bit…" Chris managed to say, not content with the answer. "…But still, you're just…very likeable that makes me forget about that." He forced a smile. "You're still awesome to me."

The Aura Pokémon flashed a small smile. The Riolu inside of him looked sharp, serious about keeping the teen safe at all costs from his older self.

The movie continued, showing the Lucario having a memory where he and Sir Aaron trained together. He had his eyes covered with a piece of cloth as swinging logs tried to push him back. But without using his sight or hearing, the Lucario used his fresh aura senses to avoid the logs.

Lucario blinked, watching the training with intent. Suddenly, he grabbed the remote and paused the movie. "That is a kind of training I wish to do," he said. "My aura acts like a sixth sense that lets me sense incoming movements just as long as I have the skill in play."

Chris tilted his head. "What do you mean by having your skill in play?" he asked.

"I don't have my aura sense active all the time because I don't want to unwillingly read other people's emotions and their clouded minds," Lucario pointed out, drinking his soda. "However, it does activate by itself if there is danger coming my way, and I have good reflexes for such occasions…" He stared at the still image on the screen. He recalled that Chris wanted to train him. "…Do you think it'd be possible for you to give me training like that?"

The teen thought about the possibilities. "I suppose there are some similar ways I could give to you…" he trailed off, thinking about said ways. He smiled a bit and nodded. "Soon enough, I'll have you dodging bricks or something. It'll be a sight to watch."

Lucario chuckled confidently. As the movie resumed, he felt that his stomach was getting filled up… He wasn't eating too much popcorn, and he didn't know why his stomach bloated a bit. He just shrugged and asked Chris to go get some more soda for him. The teen complied and did as he was told to. When he returned, Lucario had seen the infamous chocolate scene.

"I think he is starting to open up to others," Lucario said. "He ate a chocolate from Max and smiled for a moment."

"Do you want to eat chocolate?" Chris asked, taking out a chocolate bar.

Lucario blinked at the open candy. Instead of taking the soda, he went straight for the brown item. Smelling it a bit, he found no taste, but he bit a small chunk of it. The chocolate melted inside his warm mouth, and he liked the strong but sweet taste that washed over his tongue. "Hmm, it's also very good," Lucario said.

"Just be careful not to eat too much of it," Chris said. "It kind of puts a lot of weight on you…and I'm not so sure if Pokémon can get rashes."

"…" Lucario put the chocolate away on the table. "In that case…I think I won't eat it too much." The teen chuckled, and Lucario smiled back.

It's been a few weeks, and Lucario was starting to notice how close he was growing to Chris. It felt wrong to him that Chris wasn't his trainer, yet the Riolu inside his mind was extremely grateful and happy to be with the teen. All the stuff he was learning every day was very entertaining…and fun, even. The memories of his home were slowly being replaced by his new experiences.

Those vague memories of his original trainer still held their spot fervently…but were those memories important?

Lucario gasped mentally, and he decided to focus back on the movie.

The movie reached a point where Ash had heard Pikachu's voice. Getting out from Kid's car, he found the Lucario on a rock. The two engaged on a conversation about how Ash and Pikachu were inseparable friends for life; a theme that the Lucario didn't understand because of how he felt that Sir Aaron treated him like a servant instead of a friend.

Lucario didn't want to pause the movie after listening to that scene. He looked away, a worried look creeping on his face. He and his trainer were supposed to be inseparable, yet there he was, sitting next to a friendly person who wished the best for him. If he were to compare the situations between he and the other Lucario, he would most definitely say that not everything was so bad and that he was having so much fun being around Chris. But his heart ached for returning to Sinnoh with his trainer… Why was the Riolu barking at him now?

Lucario barely ignored the scene where the other Lucario activated a Time Flower to watch the event that deprived him of his freedom during the war. Horrified at the scene as the warring armies surrounded them, the Lucario started throwing Aura Spheres everywhere before Ash yelled at him to stop. Things calmed down as the Time Flower stopped, Ash apologizing to Lucario for all the things he said to him. Surprisingly, the Lucario smiled and agreed with Ash on his notion that Sir Aaron did the best for him.

Then, Lucario decided to pause the movie, reflecting on what the Lucario had said. "…Chris…" Lucario looked down at the teen. "…Do you think it was for my own good to be here in this world?"

"I… Uh…" Chris looked a bit sad. "That's… I don't know..."

Lucario shook his head. "Please, you must have an answer," he said. "After hearing him say that it was for his own good, I quickly started to wonder if it's for my own good to be here…with you." He secretly emphasized the last two words greatly, but it was the Riolu's doing.

"…Look," Chris said, falling silent for a moment. "…If you want my honest opinion…I'd say that…you were given an opportunity to experience a new life. Sure, you kind of got dragged into this without your consent, just like the Lucario in the movie, but…" He fell silent once more as Lucario stared down with a worried expression at him. "…Let me ask you this, Lucario. Do you like being here, even if that doesn't…necessarily mean that you don't want to stay in this world any longer to return back to your world?"

Lucario thought hard about the question, though part of him told him that a positive answer would hurt Chris's feelings after hearing the second part of the question. "…I…I do like it here," Lucario admitted. "…" He shook his head and looked serious. "However, if there's no way to go back to my world, I won't complain about it."

Chris blinked. "What?"

Lucario forced a smile. "You are…" He wanted to say, "You are a very precious person to me just to leave behind," but he corrected the rest of his statement. "You are very important to me."

Thinking again, his corrected statement sounded awfully close to what he avoided to say. He beat himself up a bit, but the Riolu rejoiced loudly as he hopped on his spot.

"…Oh… Um…" Chris blushed embarrassed, a smile coming up to his lips. He looked away. "T-that's a nice reason, I think… Seriously? Are you being serious?" He shook his head. "I can't just be the reason you want to stay here anyway…"

"A-ah, you're…probably right," Lucario admitted, blushing in embarrassment. "M-maybe I like that many lessons you're teaching me." His new statement just seemed to reinforce the fact that he wanted to stay in the real world. The Riolu laughed with glee.

"…H-hey, let's not ignore the movie," Chris said. Lucario agreed and the movie resumed. Chris's hand tried to grab some popcorn, but Lucario quickly burrowed his large hand in the bucket. The teen gasped and quickly laughed a bit as Lucario chuckled.

Several minutes later into the movie, there was a lot of action involved as the group had moved into the tree's innards, where it turned out that it was being guarded by the Regi Trio. Furthermore, the tree had a very morbid defense system: red blobs that consumed all intruders into nothingness.

Lucario shuddered. He liked the action very much, but the fact that the red blobs were getting rid of people frightened him a bit. The Pokémon were left unharmed, but still… "And…this is supposed to be a children's movie?" he asked.

"You should play the Kirby games," Chris said. Lucario looked confused at the suggestion, but they went back to watching the movie.

Ash and Pikachu were reunited once more, and Ash presented his Pokémon to Lucario, who started to understand the deeper relationship between human and Pokémon from the two close friends. Later on, the moving scene was broken once Ash was swallowed by the red blobs. Just then, Mew watched the Pokémon lamenting their loss, and so it used its power to stop the security system of the tree, bringing everyone consumed by the blobs back out from the innards.

Sadly, Mew had taken quite a lot of energy trying to stop the system, and so the tree's crystals turned bright red. Lucario listened to the fact that the tree became unstable due to Mew's meddling, and now the tree's demise would dispel doom to the world.

The movie then paused thanks to Lucario. "Why would this single, enormous tree destroy the world?" he asked. "Is the whole Pokémon world connected to the tree because it can't just live by its own? I don't remember there being such an important tree."

Chris shrugged. "Well, you see… This movie we're watching is based on your world," he explained. "Therefore, you really didn't come from…the anime, I guess. You came from the game itself. In other words, the anime and the game are separate from each other. Think of it as two different stories based on the same topic."

"Oh, I see. That makes much more sense."

The duo came to the last scenes of the movie where the group found the core room of the tree. Inside, Lucario found Sir Aaron trapped inside a crystal formation. Confused by this, the Lucario then noticed that Ash found a Time Flower with a recording. It played a past memory of Sir Aaron using his own aura to deliver power for Mew to keep the tree from being destroyed. Mew then dove into the core to restore the land with its newly energized power. However, the transfer of aura energy put a heavy toll on Sir Aaron, as he was then encased in crystals till the present day.

Lucario leaned forward, curious as to what was going to happen. He started to drink more soda.

The Lucario knew what they needed to do: transfer energy into Mew so it could revitalize the tree. However, he tried to give his aura to Mew and found out too late that he wasn't strong enough to do so. Ash then recalled that he had the same aura patterns like Sir Aaron and, putting on the late guardian's gloves, he learned that the gloves gave him the ability to channel his aura into Mew.

Lucario felt that his stomach was getting abnormally bloated, but he didn't care much. He was enthralled by the scene, which seemed pretty legit. "Transferring aura to another one's body is a true fact, but that puts a heavy toll on the user's body that it might really do kill them," Lucario explained. "I think I can do something like that without suffering from exhaustion or death as long as I don't go the extra mile."

"Wow, that's amazing," Chris commented.

"Except, I'm not the healer type, and I value my life," Lucario explained. He wasn't sure if the situation would happen in such a pacific world, so he went ahead and told Chris, "So…please, Chris, don't get within an inch of your life… I don't want to take some hard decisions like they do in the movie."

Chris shuddered. "I assure you that I won't…" he muttered.

That was it, the most important scene of the movie. Lucario leaned forward as he saw both Ash and the Lucario channeling their aura into Mew. Time passed and the Legendary Pokémon started to feel energized, at the cost of their energy as it began to strain their bodies. They both felt weak, and they felt that their lives were about to be snuffed out.

An unsettling grumbling came from Lucario's stomach. Although the Aura Pokémon ignored it, Chris started to look around, finding the sound a bit too horrendous.

Just then, the Lucario shoved Ash from the spot to save him from sacrificing himself.

Lucario's eyes widened.

The Lucario looked serious.

Lucario was starting to feel weird…

The abnormal amount of aura was transferred to Mew's body as the Lucario said, "_**THE AURA IS WITH M-**_"

"_**BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP!**_"

A fearsome burp was unleashed right next to Chris. The teen, dismayed, felt the nearby furniture shake a bit as well as the cotton under the couch. Shocked to see a gush of air brush his hair, Chris's eyes widened as the burp kept on going. He froze in the spot, his frozen look fixed on the movie as it went on to the scene where the tree was restored.

Lucario closed his mouth after letting out the accumulated gas in his stomach. He was completely speechless about what he just did. He felt horribly humiliated, trying to find out what had caused him to burp so loudly and noisily. His free hand lifelessly paused the movie so that he could reflect on the event he caused. Without moving his face, his eyes looked down at the shocked teen before he said, "…Excuse me…"

"…" Chris blinked and stared up at Lucario. "…"

"…"

"…P-pfft…" Chris mumbled a small chuckled through his lips before he broke out laughing, grabbing his sides and leaning back on the couch. Looking angry, Lucario scoffed a bit, but then he chuckled nervously before he started laughing for a bit. "Oh god, that was _rich_!" Chris managed to say between laughs.

"I-I'm sorry about that," Lucario said, a twitching smile on his lips. "I don't know why I did that…"

Chris got a hold of himself and smiled at Lucario. "That's probably because you drank too much soda," he said. "What is this, your fifth glass?"

"O-oh… I see now…" Lucario looked down at the culprit of his burp: a half-drunk glass of soda.

"R-really? You didn't notice you were going to burp?"

"I was a little bit too distracted with the movie to care…"

"P-pfft…" Chris chuckled. "T-thank you! I had such a good laugh out of you."

Lucario sighed, although he looked pleased. "I'm never going to do that again… But I like drinking soda too much…" As he faced the dilemma of not drinking the beverage, Chris decided to resume the movie.

The tree was restored, but now the Lucario's time was running out. Just as the Lucario stumbled down, his hand bumped into a Time Flower that was hidden next to Sir Aaron's crystallized body. It played a last memory where it revealed that Sir Aaron told to himself that he wanted to save his servant, his actual friend, from the impending danger of the tree. He did realize that the Lucario was his friend, and the Lucario starting shedding tears just looking at his actual friend breathing out his last breath.

Despite the fact Lucario had interrupted the movie with his fearsome burp, he was moved by the scene that his eyes shed a small tear as he watched the Lucario's body glowing, his time coming to an end. As he thanked Ash for showing him how a bond between a human and a Pokémon was so important, the Aura Pokémon, along with his crystallized master, vanished from existence…

As Ash stepped outside the tree to reflect upon the values that he had taught the Lucario, Lucario heard a small sniff coming from Chris. The teen had shed more than a few tears just watching the last scenes, and then the ending credits came up, with a shot of the Lucario and Sir Aaron living somewhere in the afterlife. Sir Aaron, surprisingly, took out a chocolate bar, which made his Lucario look content at him.

And thus, the movie ended right there.

Sighing loudly, Lucario smiled down at Chris. "That was a very good movie," he said, wiping a tear away before Chris could notice it. "Thank you."

Chris sniffed a bit and forced a smile. "I'm so glad that you liked it," he said. "I think I saw you shed a tear…"

Lucario gasped, but then he smiled a bit. "His sacrifice moved me a bit…" he muttered, admitting his reason. "…It kind of baffles me that the movie ended with his sacrifice for the sake of the world, but…it was still sad to me." He himself looked a bit sad. "I know that was a happy ending…but I was wishing that the Lucario would join Ash in his journey, not die and be reunited with Sir Aaron."

"Perhaps, just maybe, Ash will catch a Riolu in the future," Chris said, looking hopeful. "Once they start airing the Sinnoh region, I'll pray that they let him get one…." He blushed a bit. "Having you here has made me like the Riolu line a lot, you know…"

The Aura Pokémon looked shocked. Looking away, he hid a small smile. "D-did I?" he asked.

"Of course!" Chris said, nodding a few times. "I would so totally keep watching the anime if they let him catch a Riolu. I hope for dear sake that they don't tease the fans by having a close encounter with one. That's just beyond disgraceful…"

"…" Lucario looked content at Chris for a brief second, and the teen thought that the bond between them had grown stronger. Lucario opened his eyes. "Thank you so much for showing me the movie."

Chris then yawned and stood back up, turning the TV off. "Well… I'm getting tired, and it's going to be ten already," he pointed out. "Why don't we turn in for the night? Tomorrow's another day."

Nodding and standing up to his full height, Lucario followed Chris back to his room, which slowly started to feel like it was their room.

As Lucario prepared himself to sleep, he wondered if there was going to be a happy ending for him and Chris down the road, in case that there was a way for him to return to his world. Then, recalling how the movie had ended with a semi-happy ending for both parties, he looked gloom… There was something awfully wrong just thinking about the pain it would give Chris if Lucario were to leave him behind forever, and Lucario's Riolu didn't want for that to happen, not even if he was dragged back to Sinnoh against his will. The Riolu would loudly complain and cry out for Chris to pull him back to his side.

There was no way the little Emanation Pokémon would resist the tormenting departure. He would be torn apart, and he feared that he would lose the wonderful memories he had made with the teen.

Lucario then noticed that he was still awake late into the night, and Chris was sleeping peacefully. The thought was still burned into his mind, and he looked sad just thinking about it. Though he also felt guilty that he was giving his back to the trainer he vaguely remembered… He stared long at Chris's back as the Aura Pokémon drifted to sleep…

The Riolu cried out, wanting their story to have a true happy ending where Lucario and Chris would stay together…forever…

* * *

_To this day, I want to own a copy of the movie, yet the price for it is too damn high for some reason unlike the other movies… Maybe it's just that good?_

_For those of you who like the story, my artwork at deviantart showcase previews of future episodes. With this in mind, the next chapter is getting a preview in the form of its cover page._

_I encourage readers to review._


	11. A Pokemon Cook

_Before anyone asks…no. There won't be Mega stuff for the entire run of this story. Live with the originals, you._

_I encourage all readers to read, enjoy, and review._

* * *

**Chapter 11: A Pokémon Cook**

The sound of fireworks going off in the night sky startled Lucario from his reading. The Aura Pokémon blinked and lowered his book to see some bright lights coming from outside the second floor. Never one to be looking at that kind of event, Lucario could only blink blankly.

"They're starting to shoot fireworks at this hour," Chris told him as he appeared from the nearby stairs, holding two glasses with orange juice. "This is a very busy city so they won't stop shooting fireworks everywhere for at least two hours. Any longer than that and the police will get worried. But that happens when you live in a city full of proud Americans and…drunk people, I guess."

Lucario was told about how important it was today. Several days have passed, and July 4th arrived. It was a date to commemorate the independence of the humans that lived on the same soil Chris walked. The Aura Pokémon wasn't very interested on human history, but if Chris wanted him to see the fireworks, it would be a good distraction. When he saw the streaming lights falling down serenely from the sky, it did create a wide array of light patterns that faded away after imploding.

They were on the second floor, sitting down on a large couch that faced the terrace before them. They could have gone outside to step out, but Chris was paranoid someone outside would spot Lucario, though the place was too dark to see an imposing monster. From where they were sitting, they were perfectly shaded from eyes in the outside.

As Chris sat down next to Lucario and set down the glasses, he looked at the tall Pokémon. "It's probably going to be hard to remember for you, but…did you ever watch fireworks when you were in your world?" he asked worried, knowing that he never saw in-game fireworks taking place in Sinnoh.

"I'm afraid not," Lucario said, looking down at Chris. "The word sounds a little foreign to me…"

"Foreign?" Chris questioned. "You…you don't know a lot of words?"

"…" Lucario looked away in shame, as the different-colored lights illuminated the somewhat dark floor. "…No, I don't know too many words myself other than words to talk to someone and words related to fighting…and what I can do."

"That's very odd…" Chris muttered. "I thought you were a little more knowledgeable in that than what I've been teaching you."

"All this time, I've been following…um…what is the expression? Following the flow?" Lucario wondered. "Yes, I've been following the flow of the conversations we've had so I wouldn't look so clueless to you… I realize I'm not the social type as the rest of the world here is." He looked back at Chris. "I do lack so many important practices."

The teen looked away. "With an answer like that, it makes me wonder how the Pokémon in your world behave around others... I suppose they're just really wild animals waiting to be taught how to…fight," he said. "…Are Pokémon really that stereotypical? Do they just think about fighting?"

Lucario didn't know the answer to that question. There was a fatal memory problem he never brought up to Chris before, and that was how he didn't remember much about his "past life" when he was trapped inside the game. He believed he was a Pokémon owned by another trainer who wasn't Chris himself, and casually leaving that trainer out from him was not recommended. The Riolu inside his mind, though, clearly wanted to start anew rather than dwelling on memories that never happened. "I suppose so…b-but we do like our trainers," Lucario said, so unsure about the statement he made. "Only the Pokémon that are raised with care are the ones who don't fight all the time."

Chris could tell there was some hesitation there, yet the Pokémon's appearance was a little too intimidating to keep asking such hard questions. "…Do you?" Chris asked; his last question.

"…Me?" Lucario said once Chris stared up at him. "I… I've done some stuff with my trainer other than fighting."

Or perhaps he shouldn't stop asking questions there. Though it didn't look like it, Lucario felt he was being interrogated on a chair. "What kind of stuff?" Chris asked, smiling a bit in curiosity. "Ooh, tell me what stuff you've done with your trainer! Maybe I can do something similar with you to make you feel more at home here."

While the Riolu inside his mind glared rather fiercely for a cutesy creature, Lucario sweated bullets in a figurative sense.

It also made him wonder how in Arceus' name his subconscious managed to become a separate identity fully aware of his true feelings. It shouldn't even happen like that.

"We…we…" He had to make something up. Lying was such a cowardly act he disliked greatly, and so far he has been saying a fair amount of lies about how he felt about being in the real world. Another set of lies pilling up on top of those would crush him eventually, no matter if he was secretly a muscled Pokémon with a scrawny look. "We…played…played…" He closed his eyes and let his subconscious suggest anything just to get the question over with. It was a pretty bad idea for Lucario, as the Riolu barked happily a sweet-looking lie to embarrass himself. "…Hide-n-Seek." It was unavoidable to blush.

"…S-snrk," Chris suppressed a small snort. "H-hide-n-Seek? You?"

Inside his mind, Lucario growled furiously. "(Why would I ask for advice from you?!)" he told his troublemaking Riolu conscience, who didn't shiver in fear but laughed at his face. The Riolu laughing like that was a dead giveaway that Lucario wanted to chuckle at his own lie, but pride took over his outside face. "W-while I was a Riolu, I mean… (Oh Arceus, that's much better…)"

"O-oh, right," Chris said, his small snorts subsiding. "I just can't imagine such a large Lucario like you hiding behind a tree so simply… Did you have a lot of fun doing that when you were a little boy?"

He had to continue with the lie a little more, and he also needed to look convincing by forcing a smile that seemed to twitch. Chris noticed the twitching but dismissed it as just an embarrassing reaction. "A lot," Lucario said. "When I was smaller, my trainer would sneak up on me and pick me up by my arms. Then…we would roll around on the grass, laughing and rubbing our cheeks together." Albeit he was feeling way too embarrassed for saying such descriptions, he pressed on.

The Riolu felt silent, suddenly looking sad. He yearned to do that with Chris…

"That's…cute to imagine," Chris said, and Lucario never knew the teen wanted to do that with a Riolu, deep down in his own mind. "But then you evolved…"

"Yes," Lucario said, trying to look sad about the lie, but what he truly felt sad about was to never experience such memories as a young Riolu. "I grew so big and heavy that my trainer stopped playing with me, because I had grown mature and serious. Evolution is a way for Pokémon to reach adulthood faster, it seems…" There was something in him that told him his reasoning wasn't a lie at all. "And it was very brief." It truly was never there. "I had only been caught by her for three days only, and at the end of those three days, I was already a Lucario…" His memory was a mess of blank memories that never happened much. He couldn't even remember when he was a Riolu.

"…Wait, are you trying to say you had a very short childhood?" Chris asked. "(That makes me wonder how the in-game Riley took some time to hand over that Riolu to my in-game avatar…)"

"I…guess," Lucario said. And he was honest when he said, "I have no memories of my parents at all while I grew up before I got caught and evolved. I was born from an egg with my trainer holding me."

"No memories of your parents?"

"(…?)"

Lucario quickly picked up a strange, negative feeling from Chris's aura. It was a feeling of sorrow that pierced through his soul… In fact, it was so bad it was nagging Lucario's senses.

Then the sorrowful emotion went away very quickly before Lucario could have a chance to look more closely into it, not that he wanted to do it. "That's horrible…" Chris muttered. "You don't remember your parents?"

"That is the disadvantage a Pokémon has when they're taken away while they're in their eggs," Lucario explained. "But because we are born as naïve children, anybody close to us at the time of our birth is given the role of parents until we grow up and realize we never saw our real parents. I thought my trainer as my parent…and in less than a month or so I never cared about looking for my real parents." He sighed, feeling sad for not even considering looking for his parents. His false memories were just making things worse. "A childhood that lasted three days without ever knowing who your parents were… How morbid, isn't it?"

Chris mumbled. "Yes…" he muttered. "The whole adulthood method you Pokémon have is so messed up in that regard."

Lucario knew he was telling some true facts in his explanation. Albeit the memories of his trainer and other times were a lie, the other memories were true. Anything before those three days were a mystery and only Chris knew it most certainly had to do with Riley giving the Riolu egg to his in-game avatar. Chris couldn't bring himself to say that as it would be too confusing.

Mysteriously enough, Lucario felt an odd sense of nostalgia when he said those lies. Even the Riolu blinked in realization and cocked his head to side as if those lies were actually…

"It's like you skipped your childhood altogether," Chris added. "I did have a childhood that I never skipped, but you… Don't you want to have an opportunity to have a normal childhood?"

"It's too late," Lucario said. "I don't think like I used to. I only cared about fighting until…until I ended up here with no means to fight anybody, and I doubt the humans of your world can even stand a chance against someone like me."

"I hardly think any humans of _your _world can stand up against an evolved Pokémon," Chris retorted, "…and much less a juggernaut like you."

Lucario smiled a bit at the indirect compliment. He liked the "j" word. "In any case, I don't wish to go through childhood again, because I feel superior as a Lucario and it's technically impossible for a Pokémon to…'de-evolve.'"

The teen looked doubtful. "But if you could…would you?"

"De-evolve?"

"No. Have a chance to live a longer childhood if it was possible."

"Uh…" Lucario rubbed his chin, thinking hard about the possibility. The Riolu was beaming with glee at the idea and, much to his real self's chagrin, it occasionally said he wanted Chris in there. "…I…suppose. It's hard to go back to being a puny Riolu when you're this big and strong." Taking offense to that, the Riolu stuck out his tongue.

The house owner shrugged. "Are you drunk with your power or something?" he asked rhetorically before Lucario could answer. "Honestly now! You're some sort of Battle Maniac."

The Riolu nodded several times while Lucario stared blankly. "No, I'm not a Battle Maniac," he said. "I can do other stuff besides the stuff you've taught me. (He surely forgot I can sense auras.)"

"Okay then," Chris said, putting up a dull look. "Mention something that doesn't have to do with battle...or…" he got in deep thought, "…your aura senses."

"…" Lucario was cornered. "…" He looked to the sides, his red eyes not taking their focus on Chris's dull-looking eyes. As he tried hard to say something else, he eventually came to a dead end. "…It-it's not fair! You took down all my answers!" he complained.

The Aura Pokémon saw the teen smiling in victory. "See now? This is why you should expand your horizons beyond just fighting and meditating," he said. "Tomorrow, I'm introducing you to a new lesson now that you've learned to read faster at a normal reading speed. Congrats!"

Lucario looked down at the book on his lap. Days of hard training paid off nicely now that he was able to read words clearly without stopping. With the boring books of history done for (and his somewhat childish thoughts that he defeated the laughing words), he was now allowed to take on written stories that Chris stored in his room. The Aura Pokémon was interest to read "The Bean Trees," which was the book he was reading right now.

"Thank you," Lucario said. "Reading does have its benefits now that I understand the words as long as they don't sound too foreign."

"I knew you would get the hang of it soon," Chris said. "But I wonder if you can learn the next big thing tomorrow…" The teen looked outside to see the fireworks going off. He saw a watermelon pattern. "Oh! They're shooting fireworks with patterns now! Let's see them for a while longer."

Lucario blinked and fell silent as he watched the fireworks with Chris. He ended up enjoying seeing the different colors and patterns in the sky, and he greatly enjoyed the teen's company more than before. A bond was forming up between them, and the Riolu flailed his arms in happiness at the fact. The day he would admit his true opinions about the teenager were coming closer.

It was too soon. He needed more time to see if he could go back to his old world, and the thought of leaving Chris behind stung him so badly… Was making a strong attachment to a person other than his forgotten trainer a good idea? He pondered this as the fireworks went off all night long…

_The next day…_

"I'm teaching you how to cook."

It occurred to Lucario that this human was most likely insane without any doubt. No way would that beaming look not hide any dark motives. A motive then reared its head after those words were spoken clearly. Everything was too good to be true before that moment. He needed to make a run for it discretely in a smart way!

"…You can't be serious," Lucario responded as he stared down at a frying pan on top of an oven.

"Oh, I'm serious now," Chris said. "I can't have you seek out fruits outside once I go back to school."

So far, Lucario had no business to stay in the home's kitchen for longer than twenty seconds. It was a sacred place where steaks would come out and get delivered to his plate just to be mercilessly torn apart by his crazy strong fangs. To him, it was taboo to go in there to do anything else that wasn't putting dirty plates in the dishwasher. Getting close to a storage or machine of sorts would be bad news, and he felt pathetic to occasionally think about raiding the refrigerator at night to find meat without needing Chris's help. He was a highly carnivorous person.

The kitchen was a white, clean place in the house. It didn't look as fancy as the living room, or that was what Lucario thought, as he wasn't that good at evaluating interior decorating. He could only describe the kitchen as clean, with the floor under his feet barely reflecting his body as a large blue blur. On the south side, the way to the dining table next to the living room was located. On the west side, a large white refrigerator stood proudly leaning to the wall. On the east side, the dishwasher and the sink were located in front of a window looking outside the backyard's east portion. However, the north side seemed to be the busiest spot, as there were a multitude of drawers, small doors, and other small compartments on the floor and hanging on the walls on the sides of a large black oven. The central point of the kitchen meanwhile had a large kitchen table, possibly for multitasking.

"Go to school?" Lucario questioned. "You?"

Chris looked offended. "Why do you sound surprised? You've seen the diplomas I have hanging on my room's walls," he said. "What I don't have in brawn, I make it up with my brain a lot."

"Oh, sorry… I'm used to think Pokémon Trainers solely travel everywhere without ever attending school," Lucario said. "That's what little I can remember from my world."

"I'm not suicidal enough to go traveling the world inhabited by creatures that can potentially skin me alive rather than staying put in a single place…"

"I could travel with you for your protection," Lucario babbled for too much, gasping mentally at the atrocity he said and wishing he wasn't too blunt. The Riolu flailed his arms with glee.

Luckily, Chris didn't look too much into the simple statement. "There is no real point doing that in my world. I do plan to study to get into my desired job field...whatever that is. I'm still undecided about choosing my profession," he pointed out. "That's a topic for another day. Today, I'm teaching you how to cook some simple meals."

The last words alone made Lucario imagine the whole house burning down to the ground because of his reckless actions. He had to avoid this lesson at all costs to never come to that mentally scarring event. "I… Uh… Is this necessary?" Lucario asked, looking quite perplexed and restless. "Aren't you taking these lessons a little too far?"

There was a hollow but unsettling silence when the teen stared long at Lucario's face. "I can see hesitation when I look at your face," Chris said duly. This human is incredibly frightening, Lucario thought. He did not need sixth senses to perceive emotions. For a brief moment, he thought his aura abilities were there just to make up for his lack of social skills, meaning he was flawed. "Unfortunately, I did think far ahead in my life once you started settling in, and so I foresaw what would happen if I were to leave you here alone while I'm busy at High School. I'm not going to be here during the mornings, and the bus leaves pretty early, not giving me enough time to give you anything to eat."

This was the perfect moment to rebut the statements.

"I can go without eating each morning," Lucario said, forcing a stoic look. "Really, I don't need to be fed three times a day. I can do just fine with just two meals."

"You think so?" Chris said with a quizzical look as he looked at Lucario's stomach. "If you were a normal Lucario with the official height, I'd see how you wouldn't need to eat too much with such a skinny body…" Chris never knew that made Lucario slightly angry, as he was somewhat sensitive about his body shape. It was Lucario's secret wish to become a buff Pokémon; perhaps the first buff Lucario in history. Added with the fact the teen mentioned he had incredible strength, the Aura Pokémon did think he needed to look the part better with large biceps. "But look at you! You're a giant when we stand next to each other. Even taller than my dad, too. That stomach you have there is just as big as mine for sure so…you need to make it up by eating a little more food occasionally."

That was a pretty strong defense to justify the lesson, but Lucario needed to break down that wall without using physical strength. "I can try using my aura to detect people outside an-"

"Out of the question," Chris interrupted.

"Let me finish," Lucario said. "I told you I can sense auras. I can become familiar with the terrain and find fruit in a tree to eat without arising suspicion."

"…Out of the question," Chris repeated without considering. Lucario groaned mentally. "It's extremely risky. I can't have you running outside and let a single adult spot you. It would cause such a huge uproar if they saw you coming into my house. I'd have to deal with so many questions and then… No!" He strongly disagreed. "Can't you imagine how bad things would get?"

"I-I guess…" Lucario stuttered, and then there was a feeling of sadness emanating from Chris's aura. The Aura Pokémon couldn't bring himself to keep pushing his way out of the lesson if it meant the teen would get sad… If the lesson took place in the beginning, he would have pressed on regardless. Now, it was impossible to be selfish without making a person sad. "My stay here would get impossible to bear in that situation…"

"Exactly," Chris said. The emotion of sadness was going away, relieving Lucario. "I can probably have you eat leftovers every day, but just in case I ever forget to make you some food, you'll have to do it yourself."

Lucario stared at the frying pan with a hard look. He was quick to envision a hellfire exploding in the house by his own hands. From inside that inferno, he saw himself burning to the ground before the house collapsed on him, bellowing to the sky why he couldn't cook a piece of steak.

His assumed trainer saw the hard stare, which made him think about doing something else. "…But thinking again, letting you move on to the frying pan is just jumping the gun too soon. I don't want the house to be on fire because of you." While Lucario was impressed that Chris managed to get close to his nightmare, the teen put the frying pan away. The imaginary house suddenly was safe from fire. "We'll have to start with something much more basic, easier and less threatening… A sandwich!"

"What?" Lucario said, looking back at Chris. "A sandwich?"

"Yes. Come to think of it, I haven't even made you one from the beginning," Chris noted. "Do you want to learn how? It's very simple."

Lucario thought about the impossibility that was other trained Pokémon looking at him making food with human tools. They would laugh at his back and indirectly ask for a beating of their lives (unless they were Ghost-types, which Lucario couldn't even punch). There were no Pokémon around, but just a harmless human who wanted him to learn so much. And perhaps, learning how to make food while he was alone in the house would prove to be beneficial. Getting back on topic, he was embarrassed to say he didn't know what a sandwich was.

"It's got ham in it," Chris suddenly said, thinking Lucario was feeling hesitant about the easy task.

"I'm in," Lucario almost immediately replied, growling loudly at the Riolu in his mind who just giggled under his little blue hands at his little act of mischief. He really needed to put his cravings for meat under control, or else his species would look down on him…

Several minutes later, on top of the kitchen table, there were ingredients placed in front of the imposing Lucario, and he felt that those ingredients were friends with the letters that used to laugh at his face, seeing as he imagined the abhorrent piece of lettuce – a sickening vegetarian's food – pointing fingers at him… Why the hell was he imagining such things? Was his unconscious trying to make him look like a very childish person? He had to admit he was so stressed about his situation, so that was probably it. He needed support or else he would lose it…if he wasn't losing it already. Focus, he told himself.

"The most basic of all dishes there is," Chris said. "Even if you have large hands, it shouldn't be too difficult to even add mayonnaise to the bread."

Lucario took a moment to look at his hands. Compared to Chris's delicate, smaller hands and fingers, one finger from Lucario's hands would be enough to smother an entire hand. Though if he can hold forks perfectly, a butter knife wouldn't be that harder to hold. "Really, after comparing our hands' sizes, I feel like I am really too big," Lucario said.

"That's…true," Chris admitted. "I thought you'd measure under my chest area, but _I'm the one _who measures right below your chest…spike," he added when his eyes stopped at the somewhat large spike protruding from the aura wielder's chest. "Give me a few years and someday I'll get my head stabbed if I turn around the corner."

"Nonsense, Chris. I can prevent head-on collisions thanks to my aura senses warning me beforehand," Lucario explained. "I assure you my spikes won't ever hurt you in any gruesome way."

"Oh… That sounded very reassuring coming from you," Chris noted. "You are incredible," he muttered in a low tone that Lucario managed to hear clearly anyway. The Riolu beamed with glee at the small praise, though his older appearance had a blank look petrified on his face. "So then, let's start off with your first dish created by your own hands."

As some time passed by, Lucario wondered why he was doing this again. Wasn't his trainer's job to feed him and not make his own food? His trainer wasn't there with him, and it felt wrong to him for Chris to give him food when he wasn't that person. But still, he could go out and find food in trees, yet that idea was shot down for their own safety. Times really had changed so drastically in a brief moment, and he didn't know if he could adapt so quickly to his new environments. He pondered this as his blank mind mindlessly followed all of the steps Chris outlined for him to do to make his food at home.

Just as he was at the point where his body was acting on its own without his will to respond, a loud screeching sound came from his hands that snapped him out from his trance. Startled, he looked down at the cut tomato trapped in his left hand while the other hand was holding some kind of metal with a handle. The cold metal hadn't cut the tomato a second time. It was actually over his left hand…and it was shredded to pieces.

"M-my goodness…" Chris breathed out, Lucario becoming aware of what happened. "T-the knife you used… You were about to cut your hand, but…! The knife broke!"

Blinking, Lucario finally became fully aware of the situation, raising the strange metal to his eyes. The once firm-looking knife was mercilessly destroyed once it dared cut his hand's skin instead of leaving a deep bleeding wound. In fact, he had done three motions with it, and none of them managed to hurt him at all. "…Oh," was all Lucario said.

"…'Oh'? That's all?" Chris said, looking bewildered as he stared at Lucario. "My god, you could've hurt yourself so badly! I saw your hand moving the knife three times over the same spot, and that one knife is one of the sharpest ones I have…" Lucario stared down at the torn metal pieces sprinkled around the tomato over the cutting board. "I know you're a Steel-type Pokémon as well, but your hands don't really feel that hard to the touch."

"Huh…" Lucario felt like he wasn't in touch with the real world more than his mental thoughts. "Maybe I really am strong in all ways," he said, still looking stoic.

"No kidding… First super strength, now nigh invulnerability?" Chris said. "We only need to see how fast you are and then I'll classify you as an otherworldly being… Don't tell me you can fly as well. You'll be a demi god if you do."

Lucario didn't dislike the idea to having the power of flight. "No, I'm sure I can't fly," he said. "But as for speed…" The temptation to run around the house right there for some workout was definitely tempting. The Riolu looked pumped up as well.

"N-no, please no, not today," Chris blurted out quickly. "Today's a day to teach you how to cook, not to show off your moves for me." Even the Riolu had to look saddened for not showing off his moves. "Just…let me clean the table from those knife bits. I don't want steel to be mixed with your sandwich, unless Steel types can eat steel and metal."

"Of course they don't," Lucario dismissed, but he wasn't all sure about it. "…Well, at least not my species."

After clearing the cutting table from the metal pieces, Lucario put his head back to reality (as much as he could) and retried cutting the tomato, this time without decimating a second knife. Thankfully, the knife was spared, and a freshly cut tomato piece was ready. "Good," Chris said. "From here, things shouldn't make your body destroy anything else other than the sandwich."

Lucario stiffed a small glare. "I can be very delicate," he said.

"Tell that to the knife you killed delicately," Chris retorted. The Riolu groaned loudly and hunched over, but Lucario suppressed his deep growls as to not scare the teen.

Ten minutes later, Lucario had managed to create food of his own without having to pluck berries out from trees or kill large Tauros. Just as he wondered if Tauros were edible, he looked down on the harmless-looking sandwich. It actually looked appetizing, mostly because there was a square piece of ham sticking out from all edges, along with the tomato and lettuce pieces on top of the squared cheese hidden between the meat and lettuce. Because of size differences, the sandwich looked small compared to the towering monster in front of it. The point became clearer when Lucario picked it up with a hand. His hand could cover it completely and even hide it in a clenched fist.

"…Wow. I didn't think the sandwich would look that small on your hand," Chris muttered. "It almost looks like a snack instead of breakfast…"

The Aura Pokémon took a closer look at the sandwich. His nose quickly picked up the pork smell from the ham, which triggered his starving instincts to take a big bite (nearly a third) of the sandwich… The taste was pretty good. The ham mixed up with the cheese, and the lettuce and tomato were nice extras that blended well with the bread. This was better than eating the dreadful cereals he was forced to eat as punishment, and he could really see himself eating this many times in each day. "This is good," he said, but the Riolu said, "This is SOOOOOOOO good! I want more!"

"I know this sounds pretty weird, but…congrats for making your own food," Chris said, smiling a bit. "It wasn't as hard as you thought, did it?"

"It wasn't," Lucario said, and then he gave up to his hunger and started eating the sandwich until it was gone forever inside his body. He did lament how the experience was pretty brief, but he did swallow more than savoring the taste. Chris knew he had eaten it too fast.

"That went pretty fast…" Chris muttered. "I guess it'd be better if you ate two sandwiches instead."

Either Lucario had to agree that he needed more food or that he could manage with one serving. "…I want another one," Lucario said, giving up to his inner Riolu. "I'm still hungry."

The teen chuckled. "(Is he trying to look tough? He doesn't want to look so submissive.) Do you want me to make you one?" he offered. "You could try making another one without listening to me."

"I'll take your offer," Lucario said nodding. "Next time, though, I'll do it myself."

"Then I suppose you can make your food from now on," he said. Lucario stared down at him. "If you ever feel very hungry and you want to eat, go ahead. The kitchen will be open to you 24/7. Don't wait for me to make you food if you really want to eat… Well, eat breakfast. You still don't know how to make steaks."

The word "steak" was so imprinted in Lucario's mind that his mouth watered very fast just hearing it. Oh, if only he could do it himself without simply thinking about hunting animals. "I wanna learn how to make steaks!" the Riolu beamed with glee.

Then the gruesome image of the house burning down scared him away from being near a frying pan.

"Uh… It'll take a long while for me to know how to make steaks," Lucario admitted, feeling disappointed. "This involves fire from a machine. I wouldn't bear to know I caused an accident by burning down your house."

Chris shuddered. "I-it's not like you'll screw up that badly," he said. "Someday, you'll be able to use a frying pan expertly! Just maybe, I guess… Maybe you'll be better than I am."

"Better than you?" Lucario said. "I can't really see it. You serve good food. None of it has been bad…except for eating cereal every morning." He growled in disgust. "I am not drinking milk for a few more days."

"(Maybe I was too rough with that punishment? I still have a head on top of my shoulders…)" Chris thought, feeling alarmed. "Who knows? Besides having super skills, you could have a future as a chef."

"I still don't see it," he said defiantly.

"…Fine, then. You'll be an average cook, or chef. I don't know the difference between both," Chris said. "Anyway, I'll make you a sandwich myself. I'm giving you a glass with orange juice for a more complete meal." Juice was a very refreshing drink to Lucario; even better than drinking the gas-filled soda drinks he liked to drink on occasion. He wouldn't drink more than one soda just to keep his dignity, but fighting his meat cravings was another obstacle that was even harder to overcome.

When Lucario had left the kitchen, Chris got into thinking about the knife that broke. "(Just what is he?)" he thought. "(He can lift a bed and cut down tree trunks without struggling or looking exhausted, he can't feel pain when cutting himself accidentally… Are Pokémon really that strong?)" he wondered as he was now out of touch with the real world, his hands working by themselves on the next sandwich. "(Or is he a big exception? He has to be… I mean, this Lucario is abnormally huge and powerful, maybe even too powerful for his own good. I don't want to see him ever going on a rampage so things are nice as they are. Still…what _is _he? Why did this even happen in the first place?)" The answers to his troubling questions would probably never resurface under the current circumstances.

The rest of the day went by with Lucario making another memory to look back to. He clarified this nice event by nighttime when Chris was already sleeping, a small smile stuck on him as he breathed air. The Aura Pokémon looked down on the human, flashing a small smile of his own before looking out to the window. He expected fireworks to implode in the sky, though seeing the bright moon was more than enough.

He reflected on the skills he had learned thus far. Lucario knew how to read, how to use utensils, how to play video games, how to watch movies and even comment on them, how to make some food for himself, how to maintain the flowers outside, how to cut and store wood for Winter, how to take a shower… He knew so many Pokémon didn't know how to do all this. He was truly special, even more so when Chris told him he was incredibly strong.

His thoughts stopped at the word "strong."

Lucario blinked and looked back at Chris, and then he looked down at his body. Thinking back, he hadn't mastered how to use Aura Sphere. All this time, he hadn't done an appropriate training session to temper his body. Meditating had become very dull and he needed to do some workout badly. True, being told he was very strong felt reassuring, but Lucario was an overachiever when it came down to power. If he truly was the strongest, the only common goal was to become even stronger. No Pokémon would dare look at him funny if he managed to learn Aura Sphere and reach higher ranks.

But how could he do all that in this world with no Pokémon? Training was all he could do, but how? He needed to train now! Perhaps the dream of growing muscles wasn't totally impossible, but that was pretty far off. What could he use at home for workout? He needed some equipment but Chris lacked gym equipment, even dumbbells. He could probably replace something with what he needed and pretend it was…

…Lucario looked at the bed. Didn't Chris say it was one of the heaviest things in the house? The Aura Pokémon knew how to be careful. And maybe with Chris's body as added weight would make this work. Now, he could wake up early in the morning and start from there…

A small smile formed on his lips as he nodded to himself and went to sleep in his usual sitting position. Tomorrow was the day he would start his training schedule.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

_I think this chapter was a little too brief, but I also think that it was enough to make some good impressions about Lucario himself, as in, what he wishes to do the most._

_So, expect the next chapter to be the start of his training regimes. It can only go downhill from there… Uh, I mean, uphill._

_Please do review!_


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